The Travelling Naturalist Brochure 2015

OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

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THE TRAVELLING NATURALIST

TOUR INDEX

Introduction Responsible Tourism

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200U SOUTH- & CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN Ref ARGENTINA – Cacti & Wildlife 9 ARGENTINA – Patagonia & Iguazú 9 BOLIVIA – Andean Foothills & Lake Titicaca 10 BRAZIL – Jaguars & Harpy Eagles 10 COSTA RICA – Cloud Forests & Volcanoes 11 COSTA RICA – Turtles& Toucans 11 FALKLAND ISLANDS – Photographic 12 FALKLAND ISLANDS – Wildlife Spectacular 13 FALKLAND ISLANDS – For Addicts 13 GALAPAGOS ISLANDS – Enchanted isles 14 GUYANA – Rainforests, Savannas & Wetlands 15 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO – Asa Wright Experience 16 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO – Turtles 16

NORTH AMERICA – CANADA & USA USA ALASKA – in Spring USA UTAH & ARIZONA – Canyons & Wildlife MEXICO – Baja California USA – California’s Coasts & Deserts USA – Florida’s Winter Birding CANADA – Grand Manan CANADA – Alberta CANADA – Churchill

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AFRICA (SOUTH OF THE SAHARA) & MADAGASCAR GAMBIA & SENEGAL – West African Birding 21 GAMBIA & SENEGAL – Photographic 21 MADAGASCAR – Land of the Lemurs 22 NAMIBIA – Skeleton Coast 23 SOUTH AFRICA – Kalahari & Cape 23 SOUTH AFRICA – Cape & Karoo 24 SOUTH AFRICA – Cape & Garden Route 24 SOUTH AFRICA – Drakensberg & Zululand 24 SOUTH AFRICA – Kruger & Zululand 25 SOUTH AFRICA – Birds & Big Cats 25 BOTSWANA – Okavango Delta 26 TANZANIA – Birds & Big Cats 26 ASIA & INDIAN OCEAN MALDIVES – Whales & Dolphins SRI LANKA – Jewel of the Indian Ocean

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AUSTRALASIA AUSTRALIA – Eastern AUSTRALIA – Western NEW ZEALAND – Natural History

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POLAR CRUISES SPITSBERGEN – Arctic Summer ANTARCTICA

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EUROPE, NORTH AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST AUSTRIA – in Spring & Autumn BELARUS – Primaeval Forests BULGARIA – in Spring BULGARIA – in Autumn CZECH REPUBLIC – Dragonflies ESTONIA – in Spring & Autumn FRANCE – Camargue & Pyrenees FRANCE – Camargue in Winter FRANCE – Corsica

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FRANCE – Dordogne Butterflies FRANCE – Dordogne Dragonflies FRANCE – Dordogne Wildlife FRANCE – Dordogne Wallcreepers FRANCE – Dordogne Moths FRANCE – Pyrenees in Summer FRANCE – Pyrenees Flowers Photography FRANCE – Vercors FRANCE – Vercors photography GERMANY – Bavarian Alps GERMANY – Brandenburg GREEK ISLANDS – Lesvos GREEK ISLANDS – Cyprus GREEK ISLANDS – Crete GREEK ISLANDS – Kos HOLLAND – Wild Goose Chase HUNGARY – in Spring HUNGARY – in Autumn HUNGARY – Photographic ICELAND – Orcas & Auroras ICELAND – Principally Puffins ICELAND – in Summer ICELAND – Volcanoes ICELAND – Harlequins & Northern Lights ITALY – Sicily LAPLAND – Birds & Auroras LATVIA – Wild Harvest SLOVENIA & HUNGARY – Butterflies MONTENEGRO & ALBANIA – Adriatic in Spring MOROCCO – in Spring MOROCCO – in Autumn PORTUGAL – Southern POLAND – in Spring ROMANIA – in Spring & Autumn SARDINIA – Birds & Wildlife SPAIN & MOROCCO – Autumn Migration SPAIN – Cranes & Wallcreepers in Autumn SPAIN – Extremadura in Spring & Autumn SPAIN – Lynx Quest SPAIN – Spanish Pyrenees SWEDEN – in Spring SWEDEN – in Autumn SWEDEN – Butterflies & Dragonflies SWITZERLAND – Alps in Summer HUNGARY & TRANSYLVANIA – Birds & Bears TURKEY – Southern TURKEY – Bosporus

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ASIA MONGOLIA – Birding Gun Galuut

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BRITISH ISLES DORSET – in Spring & Autumn ISLES OF SCILLY – in Spring & Autumn IRELAND – Burren & Aran LEWIS & HARRIS – Seabirds & Standing Stones ORKNEY – Wildlife & History OUTER HEBRIDES – in Summer & Autumn SHETLAND – Wildlife Photography

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BOOKING YOUR HOLIDAY, TERMS & CONDITIONS Booking Information 66 Conditions of booking 67 Tour Calendar 68

The air holidays and flights in this brochure are ATOL Protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 10544.

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OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

THE TRAVELLING NATURALIST

NEW TOURS, NEW LOOK BROCHURE & THE START OF A NEW ERA...

Dear Friends, Every year at brochure time, seeing the range of tours we offer, I am constantly amazed how far we have come. From humble beginnings as ‘The Dorset Naturalist’ back in the dark ages of 1984 when it was just me and a typewriter in the corner of the bedroom, we have grown into a global tour company sending you off on wildlife adventures to the furthest reaches of our marvellous and fascinating world!

None of this would have been possible without the support of our wonderful office team, Pippa, Vicky and Joey, our expert tour leaders and local agents, and most JAMIE MCMILLAN AMIDST THE ARCTIC PACK-ICE importantly you, our clients, who have made the business such a pleasure to run over the last three decades. I'd like also to give a special mention to Neil Arnold, who has been such a support to me from the start. Although he's left the firm, he still keeps travelling, and is liable to turn up on various cruise ships on the seven seas.

However, after over 30 years in the wildlife travel industry, it is with some sadness, but a wealth of fond memories, and a bounty of new friends, that I too must announce my departure from the company. Due to ill health I have decided it is time to gracefully bow out and hand the reins over to new owners who will be able to give the company the passion, drive and commitment it so deserves, and who will take The Travelling Naturalist forward into new and exciting times, whilst still holding true to our ethos and values for which we have become so known and loved.

As it turns out, we didn’t have to look far for our new owners– in fact only a few booths away at the BirdFair! So it is with great pleasure that we can now announce that our good friends Wildlife Worldwide will now be running The Travelling Naturalist.

Chris Breen began Wildlife Worldwide in 1992 as a small business dedicated to tailor-making wildlife holidays to the very best wildlife spots around the world. Like The Travelling Naturalist, Wildlife Worldwide has grown and developed over the years and there is now a small dedicated team of tailor-made specialists at their offices in Winchester, and I am delighted that they will be carrying the good name of The Travelling Naturalist forward into a new era.

Pippa, Vicky and Joey will still be running the ‘engine room’ and all of our tour leaders with whom many of you have become firm friends with over the years will still be guiding you far and wide. So rest assured that The Travelling Naturalist will continue in the manner that you are all fond of and familiar with, just with new and energetic directors at the helm!

So this is farewell from me, and thanks again for all of your loyalty, enthusiasm and shared passion for our natural world which we have had the pleasure of travelling together over the years. I wish Wildlife Worldwide, all of my staff, leaders and of course you, our clients all the best for the future and many more years of exploring the globe!

With very best wishes,

THE TRAVELLING NATURALIST ©The Travelling Naturalist 2014-2015 The contents of this brochure are protected by copyright.

Jamie McMillan

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BLUE EMPEROR DRAGONFLY ©MIKE READ

The Travelling Naturalist is a small, specialist tour operator, with a simple aim – to provide the most enjoyable guided wildlife holidays possible! We follow the best traditions of field natural history, leading small groups of like–minded people in some of the best areas for wildlife that we know, and taking time to appreciate the natural history there.

We have been running wildlife holidays for over a quarter of a century, and are extremely proud of our client loyalty, with, on average, about half the clients on any trip coming back to us, and with many of our new clients coming by personal recommendation.

Several clients have returned for over twenty holidays with us, and a few have even notched up over forty trips!

We never forget that it is your holiday and work hard to ensure that all the components of a tour – the accommodation, transport, food, the design and pace of the itinerary, and the all–important leadership combine to give you a superb all–round experience, and, we hope, some wonderful memories!

OUR LEADERS are fine all-round naturalists with a wealth of field and leadership experience. It is their expertise and professionalism, coupled with an easy-going and flexible approach, that is probably the most important factor in the success of our tours. We also, where possible, link up with local experts to ensure really top-quality local information.

OUR ACCOMMODATION is chosen with one criterion in mind – whether our groups will enjoy staying there! So we select lodges, hotels and other centres which combine good facilities with character and good service, and, most importantly, are within easy reach of the best wildlife areas. Wherever we stay, we make every effort to secure private en suite facilities, and single rooms where requested. We’re also quite keen on our food!

Please do give us a ring if you need any more information.

OUR ITINERARIES are very carefully thought out – indeed we are often complimented on the design and originality of these.

Our tours aim to achieve a balance between making the most of the variety within a country, and yet taking time to savour the experience of each place we include. And we’d like to stress that on none of our tours do we rush round making huge lists of birds or flowers!

We particularly like one-centre holidays, as they really give us a chance to get the most out of a place, and suit our relaxed, broad-based style. To make the holidays as stress-free as possible, we usually include all meals in the tour price (with the exception of a few USA tours).

OUR PRE-TRIP INFORMATION PACKS AND TRIP REPORTS

reports. Please do have a look at the website description of a tour before booking. Visit us on www.naturalist.co.uk And if you aren’t an internet user, we’ll be delighted to print one off to post to you!

For any tailor-made tours, please see our Wild Ambitions website, www.wildambitions.co.uk

OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS Give you up to date information on new tours and extra departures. Visit our website to sign up for them!

OUR DAILY PROGRAMME is tailored to the destination. On many trips we offer an optional pre-breakfast walk or excursion to catch the bird activity at its peak, or we may have an early

are often praised by clients as being some of the best they’ve seen! We make great efforts to provide you with as much relevant information as we can before a trip, and to provide an informative and often highly entertaining record of the holiday at the end.

Incidentally, while the brochure and website descriptions give a flavour of each holiday, they cannot really do them justice. It is the trip reports that give the real low-down, so please do request a copy if you are interested in a particular holiday, or look them up on our easy-to-use website.

OUR WEBSITE has much more information than we can squeeze into this brochure! As well as expanded detailed itineraries for each holiday, you can find past trip

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OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS ABOUT THE TRAVELLING NATURALIST

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breakfast to make the most of the day. Lunches are often picnics, but are sometimes taken in local restaurants or tavernas. On most days we aim to get you back to the hotel or lodge in good time to refresh yourself before dinner and the evening log-call, where we mull over the day’s sightings.

In the tropics especially, wildlife is at its most

Ref 200U active early in the morning, and sometimes last thing in the evening. We therefore almost invariably have an early start on these trips, starting before dawn, and finishing after sunset. But don’t worry, we do relax! During the heat of the day little stirs, including us, and our lunchtimes can be very laid-back, sometimes followed by a good siesta.

LAKE PUKAKI ©MARK HANGAR

WALKING We probably get more queries about the amount of walking than on any other topic. In most tours there is some walking, at an easy pace, and stopping frequently to look at wildlife. Overall in a day we can reckon to have walked no more than five miles and often a fair bit less.

There are a few exceptions to this, and these will be indicated in the tour description. Most tours that involve islands, especially small British islands, will involve more walking, usually as we like to try and take you to places that vehicles can’t get to (assuming there are any!). Please assume around seven to ten miles a day for these island tours.

PHOTOGRAPHY Photographers are most welcome on our tours, but should bear in mind that on most tours photography is not the principal objective. We do ask you to take photos sensitively, both regarding the wildlife (especially taking care not to trample plants) and other members of the group who may not share your enthusiasm!

Please note that we reserve the right to take photographs during the operation of our tours, and to use the resulting images for promotional purposes. By booking with us, tour members agree to allow their image to be used in this way; clients who prefer that their image should not be used must inform us prior to the tour.

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COLLECTING We absolutely forbid the collecting of specimens on any of our tours, including the picking of flowers.

Please remember – take the book to the plant, not the plant to the book! Our tours often take place in countries where the whole idea of conservation is in its infancy, and we must take care to be seen to act responsibly, especially by local people.

PUBLIC LIABILITY We carry full international public liability insurance.

SMALL GROUPS We think that our type of holiday is best enjoyed in a small group. Our group size is usually a maximum of 12 or 14 clients (sometimes fewer), with two leaders or local guides usually accompanying groups of 11 or more. Please note that with numbers below this, the tour may go ahead with local guides only.

Cruises are not subject to this restriction, with details of leaders and group size (ie the capacity of the boat/ship) given in the tour description.

Our stated minimum number of clients per group is six, but we often run tours with fewer than this number. Please note, however, that we cannot accept cancellations without loss of deposits simply because the tour is running with fewer clients than expected.

In such circumstances, our standard cancellation terms will apply. The operation of all tours is subject to minimum numbers being achieved at least 70 days prior to departure. If a tour is underbooked at that time, we may defer cancellation but will inform you if the tour is running or not no later than 6 weeks prior to departure.

Please note that leaders may have to be substituted on occasion.

SINGLE ROOMS We will always try to accommodate clients who request single rooms, but this is not always possible, and clients may be asked to share for all or part of the holiday. In this case we will of course not charge the single room supplement for the portion of the holiday where the room is shared. We will also try to accommodate clients travelling on their own but wishing to share, but if there is no other single person on the tour willing also to share, we will have to charge the single room supplement.

SMOKING To ensure group harmony we ask clients who smoke to act sensitively, and not to smoke when with the group in a confined area, and especially in any vehicle or at meal times.

DIETARY REQUIREMENTS We pass on all dietary requests to the hotels and airlines, but please make sure that we know about these (in as much detail as possible) at the time of booking, to allow us good time to make the arrangements.

SARDINIAN WARBLER ©MIKE READ

BAGGAGE RESTRICTIONS AND PACKING Most tours have some sort of restriction on baggage, usually a weight limit for hold baggage of 20kgs, and sometimes just one item of hold baggage, imposed by the airlines. Sometimes, though, due to limited space in small aircraft or ground vehicles, there are more restrictions. However, please note that with increased security arrangements now in force, there are many new restrictions on both hold and cabin baggage, which may change rapidly according to circumstances and the airline involved. We will let you know about these around two weeks before departure with the final travel details, but if you would like to know about these at an earlier stage, please contact us.

Please also note that extra baggage weight and extra bags may incur extra charges by the airline.

We’ll let you know with our pre-trip information pack what clothing and equipment we recommend bringing. We often get queries about whether teaand coffee-making facilities are available (usually yes in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; usually no anywhere else!) and the presence or absence of hairdryers (usually yes in city and resort-based hotels, usually no elsewhere). Generally we suggest bringing your own if you need these.

We also get frequent enquiries about the best way to pack telescope tripods. If you are bringing a tripod, it has to go in the hold luggage – if it cannot go in your case or main bag, rugged tripod cases can now be bought, and are an excellent way of solving the problem.

HEALTH, IMMUNISATION AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS With our joining instructions we give full current details of immunisation requirements and recommendations for the area visited, and whether malaria is a risk.

For full and up-to-the minute health information we urge everyone to consult The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website

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risks in your chosen destination it is strongly www.nathnac.org prior to booking any overseas recommended that you refer to the FCO website holiday. NaTHNaC promotes standards in travel www.fco.gov.uk - both prior to booking and regularly medicine, providing travel health information for before you travel. Follow the ‘Know Before You Go’ health professionals and the public, and is funded link or call 0845 800 2829. by the UK Government’s Health Protection Agency.

Insects: Mosquitoes are present throughout the tropics. Bring repellent and dress accordingly, FLIGHTS

Ref 200U covering up -with long sleeves and long trousers.

Unless otherwise stated or requested, our tour Many of the accommodations in the Afrotropics prices include the cost of Economy Class seats on we use do usually supply mosquito nets – but if you scheduled return flights from London. Occasionally want to be guaranteed of one, then we recommend we use charter flights or ‘no-frills’ airlines where purchasing your own travel net. these offer the best or only service to that If you have a health problem, or other physical destination. limitation, please advise us in writing well before Most airlines now issue ‘e-tickets’, in electronic the tour. Our holidays are not recommended for form, rather than the more familiar paper tickets. wheelchair-users or for those with serious The advantage of these is that they should be walking difficulties. impossible to lose! We will provide you with a copy

PASSPORTS AND VISAS For all overseas tours (and cruises within the UK), UK clients will need a UK passport valid at least six months after the date of return.

We will inform clients about visa requirements with the tour information pack. If there is any extra cost involved in obtaining a visa for UK citizens this will be given in the tour description. We will provide the necessary application forms and instructions, but regret that we cannot obtain your visa for you.

Non-UK citizens must be responsible for their own visa and entry requirements.

YOUR SAFETY AND TRAVEL ADVICE Risks to your safety and security are an unavoidable aspect of all travel. The best current advice on such risks is provided for you by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice unit. It is standard policy for our office to send a copy of the relevant FCO Travel Advice to all participants along with their Final Tour Letter (2-4 weeks prior to the trip).

‘Know Before You Go’ is a travel safety campaign run by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

It encourages British nationals to be better prepared for their overseas trips with a view to avoiding common travelling traumas, risks and dangers.

In order for you to assess and protect against any

of the e-ticket receipt, and give full instructions and information about e-tickets, if this is the case.

Please note that an increasing number of airlines, particularly on short-haul flights, are now excluding the cost of on-board meals and drinks from their ticket price, which therefore have to be excluded from the cost of our tour. Please assume that in-flight meals are always excluded from the cost of a tour. Information on in-flight meals will be sent with your tickets.

Please note that some of our leaders may be based in the destination countries, or may have travelled out in advance of the group, so may not accompany the group on the flights.

We try to give provisional flight details at least ten weeks before the start of the tour, in our travel information pack. Please note that these details are only a guide, and that times and even airports may change before the tour. Please do not make any firm airport travel arrangements before you have received your final travel information, about two weeks before the departure date.

FLIGHT DELAYS If flights are delayed due to industrial action, weather or (as has happened to us!) volcanic activity, we will make every effort to assist you in making alternative travel, accommodation and meal arrangements, should these be necessary. Such arrangements are sometimes not covered by the airline, so please make sure your travel insurance covers any possible extra costs involved. If additional hotel nights are needed, for example, we may be able to arrange these on your behalf but please note that we will have to invoice you for the extra costs involved. Sometimes a claim can be made against the airline for these costs under EU or UK law. Again, we will assist you with any claim, but unfortunately current rules state that it is the passenger and NOT the tour operator who has to claim.

INTERIM FLIGHT DEPOSITS Recently, many airlines have been asking for full, non-refundable payment of the fare before they will confirm the booking. Sometimes we need to secure flights several months in advance of the tour CHEETAH DRINKING WATER

departure date, before the full payment of the balance is due. In these cases we will need to ask you to pay a non-refundable interim deposit, in addition to the tour deposit, in order to secure your flight booking. We will give you at least a month’s notice if this is the case.

A COMPLETE SERVICE From the moment you book – just relax! We aim to provide a complete service, taking the stress out of making arrangements for your holiday. We can help to arrange your connecting flights where needed (as long as this is requested at time of booking – see below), as well as offering useful discounts on airport car parking, a choice of airport hotels and airport taxis.

Details are sent with our travel information pack.

Please note that we can also often arrange tailormade extensions to the main tour if these are requested at time of booking. And if you have any questions at all about the tour – please just ask!

EX-FLIGHT PRICES For clients joining a tour from outside the UK, or wishing to join us at our destination, we are always happy to quote an ex-flight price for most of our tours involving scheduled flights. If you wish to book a tour land only, you must put this on your booking form.

FLY LOCAL! For several destinations we are able to quote a price that includes a flight from a regional airport within the UK. Again, please enquire for details before booking. Please note that we usually charge a £35 booking fee for booking separate flights from (or additional flights to) the main group flights to cover our administrative costs. If you wish to book a tour with a connecting (or sometimes direct) flight from a regional airport, you must put this on your booking form. Depending on flight times we may recommend that you fly to London the day before, to avoid the possibility of missing the connection.

FLY WHEN YOU PLEASE! Increasing numbers of clients are choosing to fly out before the main tour, or return afterwards. We are always happy to quote for flights independent of the main group, but please note again that we usually charge a £35 booking fee to cover our administrative costs. Please note that if you are booking your own flights for a tour you must contact us first (and get written confirmation from us) to check that the times fit with the current itinerary.

TAILOR-MADE EXTENSIONS AND CITY BREAKS If you have an extra few days to spare, why not let us quote for an independent extension to your tour?

We can often get excellent prices at some excellent hotels or lodges, and our network of local agents can usually come up with some fine suggestions for extra days.

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Many of our European tours begin and end in some fascinating cities, with superb sightseeing and cultural opportunities. We can often get some bargain prices at excellent city centre hotels, so why not make the most of your tour, and let us book a short city break at the end?

If you wish to book a tailor-made extension,

200U please ensure you put this on your Ref booking form at the time of booking.

TAXES Please note that all prices include all UK taxes as known at time of print.

DATA PROTECTION Please note that all enquirers’ and clients’ names and addresses are stored by us electronically. We are registered under the Data Protection Act to enable us to do this. Please let us know in writing if you wish your details to be removed from the list, or if you wish to see a copy of the details as they are stored.

BROCHURE VALIDITY This brochure is published in October 2014, and its prices replace all previously published details.

It remains valid until our next brochure is published.

WHITE-NAPED CRANE ©ECOTOURS WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

TRAVEL INSURANCE Good travel insurance is essential before departing on any overseas trip and is to be much recommended for UK holidays as well. In common with all responsible tour operators, it is a condition of booking that all participants must be fully and adequately covered by insurance before setting out on holiday.

Your insurance must cover you fully in respect of medical care and repatriation should you become too ill to continue with the tour, including the cost of emergency evacuation by helicopter or air ambulance should this be necessary.

Note that passenger liability insurance covering the transportation that we hire, particularly in Third World countries, may be inadequate; it is therefore important that your insurance cover includes sufficient provision for your dependents in the event of an accident.

We strongly recommend that you obtain your insurance as soon as possible after booking your holiday to ensure you are protected in the event of unexpected cancellation prior to departure due to accident or illness. You must inform your insurers of any pre-existing medical conditions (including those of persons not necessarily travelling but upon whom your holiday may depend) that may require treatment during a period of overseas travel or might cause you to cancel the trip.

Be aware that Travel Insurance does not normally provide sufficient cover for valuable optical equipment, which is often best protected under your own household insurance policy. If in doubt ask your insurers for advice prior to travel.

area, and sometimes spending whole days without using vehicles.

Wherever possible we use local guides, and We believe that our specialism – quality ecotourism – locally-owned and locally-operated suppliers of has a truly important part to play in the conservation accommodation, produce, transport and tour of many threatened habitats worldwide – indeed management. We also actively seek out and prefer tourism can be the major factor in saving an area those who are committed to conservation and from damage by destructive forestry or agricultural sustainable tourism, even though they might be a practices. We think that ecotourism also has a role in little more expensive than others. promoting the whole idea of conservation, especially We will continue to run tours to several countries in those countries and regions where it is currently with a dubious environmental record, believing that given a low priority. All our leaders, and we would by working with conservation-minded local agents guess most of our clients, are committed and organisations within those countries, we can help conservationists, and in many ways we see ourselves to strengthen their hand. This includes countries like as ambassadors for conservation wherever we travel, Iceland and Japan whose support for whaling we are even where there are opposing views locally. vehemently opposed to, as are our agents there, and We always seek to minimise environmental some Mediterranean countries where migrant birds damage on our tours, for example by travelling in still continue to be shot in contravention of EU law. small groups, spending more time within a smaller We continue to make our feelings known to the

OUR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM POLICY

authorities in these countries, and encourage our clients to do so.

We encourage our clients to observe a Code of Conduct in order to minimise their impact on the environment while on our tours. We strongly discourage the collecting of specimens and picking of flowers on a tour.

We work with and support conservation organisations both in Britain and overseas. We give direct financial support through corporate sponsorship of, for example, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation, RSPB, and the Woodland Trust and send by far the bulk of our publicity budget to these and other conservation organisations. We also contribute directly to local conservation and other charity projects, and encourage our clients to do so.

We also aim to run our office in as environmentally sustainable a way as possible.

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SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – OUR POLICIES IN ACTION Over the years, we have contributed financially to a variety of local projects, not necessarily always wildlife-related. Our tsunami appeal, for example, in partnership with our local Rotary Club, resulted in over £100,000

Ref 200U being raised to restore an orphanage and nearby village on the south coast of Sri Lanka. It must be said, though, that, with a world to choose from, we are not always in the best position to assess which projects are most deserving. That is why we channel most of our direct financial contributions through conservation organisations like RSPB, Butterfly Conservation and local wildlife trusts, of which we have been corporate sponsors for many years.

One of the concerns that we have always had is about one of the biggest side-effects of what we do. Simply by taking a flight to our destination, we are contributing towards greenhouse gases and global climate change. One thing we can do about this is to try to go some way to mitigating the effects, by using one of the ‘carbon offset’ schemes. Although we are a bit wary of some of these schemes, others do fit in very well to our approach, particularly those that protect existing primary habitats. We will therefore contribute to the World Land Trust, an international conservation charity, who will invest the funds in restoration ecology projects which deliver offsets through the protection and regeneration of threatened tropical habitats.

We are therefore making a contribution of £5 per client on short-haul destinations, £15 per client for medium-haul (e.g Americas, Africa), and £35 per client for long-haul (mainly Australasia) to go towards the offsetting of these flights. Offset contributions will also be made for all our leaders’ flights.

It is sometimes said that more carbon is produced by passengers travelling to and from the airport than by the flight itself! We hope that clients will recognise this by matching our contribution, and will be offering you the chance to do so.

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM: LEADER TIM EARL SPREADS THE CONSERVATION MESSAGE IN MADAGASCAR© CLIFF GILBERT

WORLD LAND TRUST

RESTORATION ECOLOGY PROJECTS The World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity, based in Suffolk, UK. Since its foundation in 1989 the World Land Trust has been working to preserve the world’s most biologically important and threatened lands, and has, so far, helped purchase and protect nearly 400,000 acres of threatened habitats of high biodiversity, in Asia, Central and South America and the UK. Running in parallel with its conservation land purchase activities, WLT launched its innovative Carbon Balanced programme in March 2005. The aim of the World Land Trust Carbon Balanced Programme is to offer individuals and companies a means of offsetting their CO2 emissions while also conserving the world’s most threatened habitats and their wildlife.

The Carbon Balanced programme is run by the Restoration Ecology Team who design projects to deliver offsets (measured as tonnes of CO2 sequestered) by restoring forest and preventing deforestation. Biodiversity conservation is at the centre of the project design and all WLT restoration ecology projects are managed in collaboration with in country, conservation non-governmental organisations.

WLT currently has four restoration ecology project sites delivering offsets.

These are located in Ecuador and Mexico, all associated with well-established and important protected areas. Our offset contributions will be used to support these and other similar restoration ecology projects. Keep an eye on our website and e-newsletters for project updates.

For more information please visit the Carbon Balanced and World Land Trust websites at: www.worldlandtrust.org & www.carbonbalanced.org

ANDEAN FOREST HILLS LOWER FJ TAPICHALACA RESERVE ©NIGEL SIMPSON

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LA RIOJA - EXCELLENT CACTUS HABITAT, AND TRICHOCEREUS IN BLOOM ©LUIS SEGURS - TROGON TOURS

MAGELLANIC PENGUIN ©MIKE READ

Northern Argentina

Patagonia

Cacti, Condors and culture of the Andes

The Uttermost Part of the Earth

Mon 19 October – Mon 2 November 2015 (15 days)

Mon 16 - Thur 26 November 2015 (11 days) Iguazú Falls extension to Sun 29 November 2015 (3 days)

From the cloud forests and dry semi-deserts of the Andean foothills, to the awesome peaks and high plateaux of the High Andes, we go in search of Argentina’s amazing wildlife, with, for the first time on one of our tours, a focus on its spectacular and fascinating cacti, at a time when many are in flower. Join us for the trip of a lifetime in some of the best wilderness areas in South America!

Scenically, this is one of the most varied trips we run, travelling to some of Argentina’s most spectacular landscapes and its richest wildlife habitats.

Within short distances, there is a wide variety of environments, ranging from woodlands in the lowlands to cloud forests at greater altitudes, and from vast extensions of shrub deserts to high Andean meadows with snowcapped peaks in the distance, and some truly superb archaeological sites. Even though the main focus of the trip is seeing unique cacti in their native setting, there is much more to experience as we will be travelling at a relaxed pace to allow the group to take advantage of these other attractions.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

We tour the wilds of Patagonia for penguins in their millions, Condors over the Andean glaciers, Southern Right Whales and Elephant Seals on their breeding grounds, and some of the world’s most awe-inspiring scenery. Along with an extension to the mighty, bird-rich Iguazu Falls, this must be one of the most varied tours we operate!

We begin our journey in the harsh, windswept deserts of the Valdes Peninsula as we watch colourful Burrowing Parrots, inspect some lovely flowering cacti, and watch offshore for Magellanic Penguins and Southern Right Whales!Further south, we head up into the Andes, where Andean Condors vie for attention with some of the most stunning glacial scenery on Earth. An extension will take us, in startling contrast, into the tropical forests of Iguazú, to what many describe as the most spectacular waterfalls in the world! Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

NUMBERS:

Luis Segura (Patagonia) Miguel Castelino (Iguazu) Max. 14 clients

PRICE: DEPOSIT:

£5,495 SINGLE SUPP: £545 £600 PER PERSON

PRINCIPAL LEADERS: PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Luis Segura Max. 14 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£4,995 £395 £600 PER PERSON

IGUAZÚ EXTENSION: £1,495 SINGLE SUPP: £255 EXTENSION DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price includes scheduled return flights London/Buenos Aires, airport taxes, internal flights as outlined above, ground transportation as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the local guide and drivers, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-international flight cost (Buenos Aires/Buenos Aires), please deduct £795 from the tour cost.

The price includes scheduled return flights London/Buenos Aires*, airport taxes, internal flights as outlined above, ground and boat transportation as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, incidental tips, local taxes, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the local guides and drivers, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-international flight cost (Buenos Aires/Buenos Aires), please deduct £895 from the tour cost.

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GIANT OTTERS ©BOB LUGE

Bolivia

Southern Brazil

Wildlife adventure in the heart of South America!

Jaguars and Harpy Eagles!

Fri 25 September – Thur 8 October 2015 (14 days)

Our tour to Bolivia starts on the wildlife-rich lowlands, and the foothills of the Andes, before gently making our way to an altitude of 4,720m – for a superb introduction to its diverse habitats, birds, landscapes and culture.

From the fabulous Pantanal wetlands to the dry Cerrado, we visit some of the best wildlife areas in South America, for some of the finest birdwatching in the world, and a superb array of mammals, from Giant Otters to Jaguars!

Our local guides have also discovered a regular spot for Harpy Eagles and we hope to see them in their remote breeding area.

Bolivia is a landlocked and mostly mountainous country, with some of the most dramatic scenery in the whole of South America, and arguably its bestpreserved indigenous cultures. Indeed some of the culture and language that still exists dates from pre-Inca days! The country is famous for having the highest capital in the world – La Paz – but on this tour we’ll keep away from the exhausting (to some!) high altitude regions and concentrate on the bird and wildlife riches of the lowlands and Andean foothills, with their cloud forests and dry savannahs, before gently making our way day by day to a maximum altitude of 4,720m and finally visiting fabled Lake Titicaca with it’s floating villages and reed boats!

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

Mention a wildlife trip to Brazil, and most people start imagining long journeys through the endless, continent-sized tracts of Amazonian rainforest in the northern part of this vast land. But Brazil is much more than the Amazon - to the south of the country can be found coastal mountains that rise above the forests and a huge inland swamp that many believe to be the world’s finest wetland for birds, the renowned Pantanal.

These will be our fifth and sixth visits to Brazil and the Pantanal. Previous tours have been highly successful with wonderful views of an Ocelot, Tapirs in abundance, Giant Otters, Maned Wolves, with many more mammal species and a wonderful variety of exotic birds, butterflies and plants.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

Friday 9 October – Sunday 25 October 2015 (15 days)

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Pablo Petracci Max. 14 clients

PRINCPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Miguel Castelino Max. 12 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£5,495 £395 £600 PER PERSON

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£5,295 £695 £600 PER PERSON

The price includes scheduled return flights London/Sao Paulo, internal flights as described, airport taxes, ground and boat transportation as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, tips and the services of the leaders.

The price includes scheduled return flights London/Sao Paulo*, internal flights as described, airport taxes, ground and boat transportation as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, tips and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the local guide and drivers, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the local guides and drivers, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight price starting and finishing in (Santa Cruz), please deduct £895 from the tour price.

*For an ex-flight price (Sao Paulo/Sao Paulo), please deduct £845 from the tour price.

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VOLCANO WATCH : ARENAL VOLCANO RUMBLES AWAY IN THE DISTANCE

LEATHERBACK TURTLE

Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Cloud–forests, jungles and volcanoes

Turtles & Toucans!

Sat 28 – Fri 13 March 2015 (14 days)

Departures throughout July-September 2015 (11 days)

Costa Rica is amongst our favourite destinations anywhere in the world, containing spectacular mountains and active volcanoes, pristine beaches, lowland rainforest, high cloudforest festooned with orchids and bromeliads, and some wonderful tropical wetlands.

Costa Rica has a vast array of fauna and birdlife, and we will explore the low lying rainforests, swamps, and a variety of jungle habitats in search of Mantled Howler Monkeys, Keel Billed toucans, Great Green Macaws, barenecked Umbrella birds and a wide array of parrots to name but a few!

And all this in a country less than the size of England! The amazing diversity of its birdlife and the fabulous complexity of its plantlife make it one of the most fascinating of tropical countries to visit – so why not make this the year you join us there!

It is impossible to cover all of even this small country in a fortnight, but we aim to visit a representative sample of Costa Rica’s biologically rich areas, and to give you the best possible experience of this wonderful country.

La Selva Biological Reserve alone is home to more than half of the countrys’ birds amongst an astonishing array of other wildlife. This really is a naturalists heaven!

It also just happens to be the most important nesting site in the entire Western half of the Caribbean for the endangered Pacific green sea turtle!

(Chelonia Mydas).

OUTLINE ITINERARY

Day 1

Day 1

We depart from London on a scheduled flight to arrive at San José in the evening. Overnight San José.

Days 2-3 Two nights Maquenque.

Days 4-5 Two nights La Fortuna.

Days 6-7 Two nights Hacienda Solimar.

Days 8-9 Two nights near Carara.

Days 10-11 Two nights Cerro de la Muerte.

Day 12 Overnight San José.

Day 13 We catch a morning return flight to London to arrive on Day 14.

Accommodation All rooms en suite. Some of the lodges are remote, and have simpler–style rooms, often in cabins.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Rebecca Nason & Phil Harris plus local guide Max. 12 clients

OUTLINE ITINERARY Arrive San Jose, airport shuttle to the hotel. Overnight hotel Bougainvillea (D).

Days 2-3 Transfer to Cano Blanco dock, and transfer by boat to Jungle Lodge in Tortuguero. Two nights Laguna Lodge (B,L,D).

Day 4-5 Sarapiqui. Transfer to La Selva Verde Lodge for your two night stay.

Two nights Selva Verde Lodge (B,L,D).

Days 6-7 Transfer to the Caribbean-slope forests around Lake Arenal.

Two nights Arenal Observatory Lodge (B,L,D).

Days 8-9 Transfer to the area of Boca Tapada, San Carlos. Two nights Maquenque Lodge (B,L,D).

Day 10 Transfer back to San Jose, with stop en-route for lunch.

Overnight hotel Bougainvillea (B,L,D).

Day 11 Farewell Costa Rica! Transfer back to the airport for your return flight home. (B) Accommodation : as per Costa Rica tour (left) LEADERS:

PRICE: £5,495 SINGLE SUPP: £845 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON

NUMBERS:

English speaking local Naturalist Leaders Max. 8 clients

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London/San José*, airport taxes, ground and boat transportation as outlined above, accommodation on a full–board basis, admissions, local taxes, tips to hotels and restaurants, and the services of the leaders.

GUIDE PRICES (FOR A GROUP 0F TWO PEOPLE – PRICES SHOWN ARE PER PERSON): PRICE: £3,445 SINGLE SUPP: £TBC DEPOSIT: £500 PER PERSON

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the driver and local guide, and other personal expenses.

Cost does not include international flights, meals and snacks other than those specified, alchoholic beverages, airport departure tax US$28.00 per person, tips & gratuities.

*For an ex–international flight cost (San José/San José) please deduct £795 from the tour cost.

Please note: prices above quoted for a minimum group size of 2 people sharing.

For single supplements please enquire.

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GENTOO PENGUINS ©MIKE READ

Falkland Islands ‘Pick up a Penguin pic!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Please note that this itinerary may change according to flight schedules.

Day 1

Wed 19 November – Wed 3 December 2014 (15 days) Wed 18 November – Wed 2 December 2015 (15 days) Brought to everyone’s attention by the Falklands War in 1982, this British Overseas Territory is just fantastic if you want to get up close to Penguins and many of the islands other birds and wildlife.

This tour has been specially designed to maximise the photographic potential with visits to many Gentoo, Rockhopper and Magellanic Penguin colonies, a Black-browed Albatross colony, Sea Lion and Elephant Seals hauled out on beaches and much more besides. There is even a boat trip (weather permitting!) to photograph such species as Sooty Shearwaters and Albatrosses skimming low over the waves where they are truly in their element. We also stand a chance of seeing Orcas, Commerson’s and Peale’s Dolphins on this boat trip or from the shores of various islands.

During this tour we shall visit Stanley, the Falkland Islands capital, with its beautiful Christchurch Cathedral, Whalebone Arch and various memorials to the 1982 conflict, as well as three other ‘minor’ islands. Saunders Island, one of the largest of the archipelago, Bleaker, one of the closest islands to Stanley, offering superb accommodation with many photographic wildlife locations within easy walking of the lodge, and finally Sea Lion Island, where we will stay in the most southerly located wildlife lodge and photograph endemic species such as the small Cobbs Wren and one of the rarest (and tamest!) birds of prey in the world, the Striated Caracara. On each of these islands there is plenty of wildlife to see and photograph and we will spend as much time as possible at each location to ensure we all have a good range of images.

Our final full day on the islands will see us heading out to Volunteer Point to the most accessible King Penguin colony in the world for photography, truly a spectacular opportunity not to be missed! Mike Read will be leading this trip, so join us for superb light, unforgettable sunrises and sunsets, fantastic scenery and amazingly approachable wildlife on this dedicated photographic tour. The Falkland Islands truly is every photographers’ dream location.

We take a late evening departure from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.

Day 2 We arrive early afternoon at Mount Pleasant Airport – transfer to Darwin. One night Darwin.

Days 3-5 We take a FIGAS (Falkland Islands Government Air Service) flight to the superb and wildlife-rich Saunders Island. Three nights Saunders Island.

Days 6-8 We fly to Bleaker for a three-night stay. Three nights Bleaker Island.

Days 9-11 We fly to Sea Lion Island. Three nights Sea Lion Island Lodge.

Days 12-13 We fly back to Stanley. Two nights Stanley.

Day 14 Early departure from Stanley to Mount Pleasant Airport to catch the mid-morning flight to UK, arriving back at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire early on Day 15.

Accommodation The main lodges and hotels have en-suite rooms except for a few at Darwin.

The accommodation at Saunders Island is basic and not en-suite but the location makes it worth it! and at Bleaker island is simple. Please enquire for more details.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Mike Read and local guides Max. 8 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

2014 £7,395 2015 £7,695 2014 £1,045 2015 £1,495 £1,000 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return RAF flights Brize Norton-Mount Pleasant, internal flights, full board accommodation, ground transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leader.

The price excludes travel insurance, optional tips to local drivers and guides, drinks and other personal expenses.

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ELEPHANT SEALS

BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSSES ©MO WARREN

Falkland Islands

Falklands – for addicts

South Atlantic Wildlife Spectacular

South Atlantic Wildlife revisited

Wed 14 – Wed 28 January 2015 (15 days) Wed 13 – Wed 27 January 2016 (15 days)

Wed 28 January - Wed 11 February 2015 (15 days)

Journey with us to the most accessible of the sub-Antarctic Islands, a land of albatrosses, penguins, Sea Lions and Elephant Seals... plus a warm and very British welcome.

The rich seas of the South Atlantic are teeming with life and are simply the most accessible place to see breeding colonies of true sub-Antarctic species such as Black-browed Albatross, Rockhopper, Magellanic, Gentoo and King Penguins, Snowy Sheathbills and Southern Giant Petrel. As with all the wildlife here, most are extremely approachable, giving unparalleled opportunities for photography. With a maximum group size of only seven or eight, places will go fast on this tour - so do book early!

ITINERARY

NB: that this itinerary may change according to flight schedules/weather/availability.

Days 1-3

Late evening departure from RAF Brize Norton, arriving Mount Pleasant Airport Day 2, transfer to Darwin. Two nights Darwin.

Days 4-6 We fly to Port Howard. Three nights Port Howard.

Days 7-9 We fly to Carcass Island. Three nights Carcass Island.

Days 10-11 We fly to Sea Lion Island, the most southerly inhabited island of the archipelago. Two nights Sea Lion Island Lodge.

Days 12-13 We fly back to Stanley. Two nights Stanley.

Day 14 Early departure from Stanley to Mount Pleasant Airport, mid-morning flight to UK, arriving RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire Early Day 15.

Accommodation En-suite facilities available throughout, with the exception of one or two rooms at Darwin.

NUMBERS:

2015 Tim Earl and local guides 2016 Luis Segura and local guides Max. 8 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

2015 £7,395 2016 £7,695 2015 £1,045 2016 £1,495 £1,000 PER PERSON

LEADERS:

This is the fourth different itinerary we have put on to the Falklands, again aimed at showing people who have already visited the Falkland Islands a different aspect. It is open to first timers, of course, but will have particular appeal to those we call ‘veterans’.

The tour features the usual top wildlife sites but includes a visit to Bleaker Island, only recently opened to visitors, and Port Howard. It also goes earlier than many tours, at the peak time for Elephant Seal breeding activity.

ITINERARY

NB: that this itinerary may change according to flight schedules/weather/availability.

Days 1-2

Late evening departure from RAF Brize Norton, arriving Mount Pleasant Airport Day 2, transfer to Darwin. Overnight Darwin.

Days 3- 4 Two nights Port Howard.

Days 5-7 Three nights Carcass Island.

Days 8-9 Two nights Weddell.

Days 10-11 Two nights Bleaker Island.

Days 12-13 Two nights Stanley.

Day 14 Early departure from Stanley to Mount Pleasant Airport to catch the mid-morning flight to UK, arriving back at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire early on Day 15.

Accommodation En-suite facilities throughout, except for one or two rooms at Darwin, and accommodations on Bleaker and Weddell. Limited number of single rooms available but possibly not throughout.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return RAF flights Brize Norton-Mount Pleasant, internal flights, full board accommodation, ground transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leader.

The price excludes travel insurance, optional tips to local drivers and guides, drinks and other personal expenses. *subject to availability

Tim Earl and local guides Max. 8 clients

PRICE: £7,395 SINGLE SUPP: £1,045 DEPOSIT: £1,000 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return RAF flights Brize Norton-Mount Pleasant, internal flights, full board accommodation, ground transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leader.

The price excludes travel insurance, optional tips to local drivers and guides, drinks and other personal expenses.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

These trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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FERNANDINA ITINERARY Day 1 Day 2 Ref 200U -

Day 3 Day 4 Days 5-6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

Upon Arrival in Quito you will be met by our representative at Quito airport and transferred to your hotel for your overnight stay.

We take a morning flight from Quito to the small island of Baltra in the Galapagos, where we board Beluga.

We visit Floreana Island (Charles).

Overnight we’ll make the long crossing west to Isabela and Fernandina.

Isabela Island (Albemarle).

Fernandina Island (Narborough).

We cross to Santiago, or James Island.

Tiny North Seymour, where we make our penultimate landing, before returning to Baltra for your return flight to Quito.

After breakfast this morning depending on your flight schedule there may be time to shop for some local crafts and souvenirs before being transferred to Quito airport for your return flight.

TOWER ITINERARY: Days 1&2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 BLUE FOOTED BOOBY ©JOEY WAKELIN

Galapagos

Day 10

The Enchanted Isles Departures: Every Friday throughout the year subject to availability.

As in the Fernandina itinerary.

We head to the south of Santa Cruz where we visit the small island of Santa Fe. We then head east to San Cristobal (Chatham).

As next day dawns we’ll find ourselves off Española (Hood).

You will then head to Santa Cruz Island.

Santiago or James Island.

Overnight we’ll make the long crossing north to Genovesa (Tower).

Turtle Cove is a red mangrove lagoon on Santa Cruz and a perfect example of how mangroves alter the marine environment to create a rich and unique habitat. Return to Baltra for your return flight to Quito.

As Day 10 on Fernandina itinerary.

These are itineraries for a Galapagos cruise ONLY. As you will fly to and from the Ecuadorian mainland why not allow us to help you plan an unforgettably wonderful vacation in the Andes or Amazon along with your stay in the Galápagos?

Aboard M/V Beluga

The isles of the Galapagos are surely on every wildlife enthusiast’s dream-list of places to visit. Join us for a cruise around these ‘enchanted isles’ on one of the best of the smaller vessels operating there. And why not combine this with a trip to the fabulous cloud-forests of the Andes, or the Amazon Rainforest with a dazzling array of birds.

Lying 600 miles away from the continent of South America, the remote isles of the Galapagos have played a central role in the history of man’s ideas. Named “The Enchanted Isles” by the first sailors because of the mist that often hid them from sight, they have had a long history as a haven for both explorers and pirates. But it was Charles Darwin’s observations of the relationships between the islands’ species, inspiring one of the most revolutionary of scientific theories, that ultimately caused the human species to look at itself quite differently.

One of the very best boats that cruise around the islands is a small luxury motor-yacht, the M/V Beluga. With a maximum capacity of just 16 passengers in 8 luxurious double cabins, each are equipped with private facilities, and is fully air-conditioned (lovely when you come back in for lunch!)

We offer two itineraries that run in alternate weeks. If you have a favoured itinerary, please check the dates with us. We can also combine all or part of the two itineraries to make a longer cruise.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE ITINERARIES These itineraries are subject to change without notice for various factors including but not limited to: safety, weather, mechanical breakdown, unforeseen emergencies, and the discretion of the Captain, Guide, and the Galapagos National Park.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Galápagos National Park Guides from Enchanted Expeditions Max. 16 clients

GUIDE PRICES (EX INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT) MAIN CRUISE: HIGH SEASON* £3,995 LOW SEASON £3,495 SINGLE SUPP (QUITO ONLY): £265 SINGLE CABIN SUPP: HIGH SEASON £1,495 LOW SEASON £1,295 DEPOSIT: £1,000 PER PERSON HIGH SEASON* 08 Dec – 30 Apr, 16 Jun – 31 Aug, 01 Nov – 30 Nov Please add £120.00 net per person for Christmas and New Year periods.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of scheduled return flights Quito to Galapagos, full board accommodation, transfers and cruise as described and the services of the local guides.

The prices exclude return flights UK/Quito (please allow approximately £900.00), fuel surcharges, travel insurance, Galapagos National park entry fee (currently US$100 pp), tips, Quito Airport departure tax, any meals in Quito, optional tips to guides and crew(allow $150 pp), drinks, and other personal expenses. **It may be possible to offer one or two cabins as singles subject to availability.

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RUBY TOPAZ HUMMINGBIRD

COCK OF THE ROCK

Guyana

OUTLINE ITINERARY

Rainforests, Savannahs & Wetlands Sun 15 - Sat 28 November 2015 (14 days) Guyana is a tiny country containing pristine rainforest, wonderful waterfalls, freshwater marshes teeming with birds and mammals, and lekking sites for the spectacular Cock-of-the-Rock. It makes a perfect introduction to birdwatching on the South American continent.

Formerly the colony of British Guiana (English is the first language), its stability, positive attitude to wildlife tourism and friendly people make Guyana a great destination for an introduction to South American birdwatching. Tim Earl visited the country in 2006 to learn about and help develop the country’s birdwatching holiday potential, giving a presentation on his findings to the Guianan Minister of Tourism.

This small country on the northeast shoulder of South America, just below Trinidad and Tobago, has become extremely popular with birdwatchers and general naturalists. Guyana offers all the avian richness of Venezuela’s lowland forests with safe, accessible and comfortable accommodation.

Some new lodges near the coast provide delightful, relaxing accommodation in pristine forest settings while in the southern jungles the ranches we visit offer comfortable quarters close to varied and interesting savannah habitats.

Our tour visits the coastal plain, rare sand-belt forest habitats, seemingly limitless pristine rainforests of the interior and the Rupununi savannah close to the Brazilian border. It includes travel on a number of small watercourses and two great rivers, the Demerara and the Essequibo. At the spectacular Kaieteur Falls – the 750ft sheer drop puts it among the world’s most imposing scenic wonders – we will search the forest for gatherings of male Guianan Cocks-of-the-Rock. Later in the trip we will watch jungle birds in the tree-tops from a canopy walkway which brings us close to species normally associated with stiff necks!

Travel will be in four-wheeled drive vehicles on forest tracks when we are not sitting in motorised dug-outs spotting birds and mammals as we pass along miles of waterways. Indeed, our journey to the airport at the end of the tour will be largely in such boats, a brilliant way to leap from pristine rainforest to modern civilisation.

Anyone wanting to start discovering the avian delights of South America or for those who have visited the Caribbean islands or Central America, this is the logical next step in your Neotropical birdwatching experience. This will be Tim Earl’s fifth tour to the region. He will be helped by local guides throughout.

Days 1-2

We catch a scheduled flight to Georgetown, Guyana, arriving late afternoon. Two nights Georgetown.

Days 3-4 We take an internal chartered flight over hundreds of miles of unbroken tropical rainforest to Iwokrama River Lodge and Research Station. Two nights at Iwokrama River Lodge.

Day 5 We transfer before dawn along a road through the heart of the Iwokrama Forest where there is a good chance of seeing an elusive Jaguar. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge.

Days 6-7 Two nights at Surama Eco-lodge.

Days 8-10 Three nights at Karanambu Lodge.

Days 11-12 After breakfast we say our goodbyes to Diane and transfer to the airstrip for our scheduled flight back to Ogle Airport, Georgetown. Returning to the hotel to collect any luggage left behind, we transfer to a boat for a trip along the Demerara River to the Amerindian reserve of Santa. Two nights at Arrowpoint Nature Resort.

Day 13 We travel first by motorised canoe and then by vehicle to the airport for the flight home, arriving on Day 14.

Accommodation Accomodation will be as outlined above with all rooms en suite.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Tim Earl and local guides Max. 14 clients

PRICE: £5,995 SINGLE SUPP: £450 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London /Georgetown, internal flights as described, airport taxes, ground and boat transportation as described, accommodation on a full-board basis, local taxes, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips to local drivers/guides, drinks and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost (ex-George Town/George Town) please deduct £895 from the tour cost. *Single rooms may not be available throughout in Guyana. If we can’t get a single, we’ll refund a proportion of the supplement.

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16

SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN

Ref 200U -

RUFOUS-TAILED JACAMAR ©KEITH GRANT

LEATHERBACK TURTLE ©MIKE CREWE

Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad & Tobago

The Asa Wright Experience

Tanagers, Tropicbirds and Turtles

Thur 22 January – Tues 3 February 2015 (14 days) Provisional dates for 2016 Thur 11 – Tues 23 February 2016 (14 days)

Monday 20 April – Saturday 2 May 2015 (13 days)

One of the best possible introductions to the natural riches of the Caribbean, based at the world-famous Asa Wright Nature Center on Trinidad, together with the wonderful tropical seabirds and coral reefs of Tobago.

Ask a few well-travelled birdwatchers their favourite places in the world to stay, and Asa Wright will soon enter the conversation. This famous centre on Trinidad not only makes for an excellent introduction to the incredible diversity of bird life in Central and South America, but is also an outstanding location in its own right.

The view from the verandah out over the valley is superb, while the birding from here - sometimes only a few feet away at the hummingbird feeders - is always entertaining. Around the centre lie two hundred acres of estate, a former coffee-cocoa-citrus plantation now reverting to secondary forest, surrounded by impressive rainforest. One special bird here is the nocturnal Oilbird, a fruit-eating relative of nightjars, and one of the only birds in the world to use echo-location. A visit to a colony of these peculiar birds in caves on the estate makes a unique birding experience. Tobago is Trinidad’s much smaller neighbour, and with its lovely beaches, coral reefs and seabird islands, it makes a fine contrast for the second part of our stay.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

Fly London Gatwick-Port of Spain, Trinidad. Asa Wright Nature Centre. Six nights Asa Wright.

Days 2-6 Asa Wright trails and the Oilbird cave, with excursions into the Northern Range, Nariva Swamp and a boat trip at Caroni Swamp.

Day 7 Transfer to Grande Riviere via Aripo savannah and Galera Point. Night walk to see nesting Leatherback Turtles. Two nights Grande Riviere.

Day 8 Trinidad Piping Guan and rainforests of the Northern Range.

Day 9 Fly Port of Spain-Tobago. Tobago Plantations Estate. Blue Waters Inn. Three nights Blue Waters Inn Days 10-11 Tobago’s montane rainforests and boat trip to Little Tobago Island.

Day 12 Starwood Trace or relaxing at Blue Waters Inn. Fly Tobago-London.

Arriving Day 13.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

NUMBERS:

2015 Richard Thaxton 2016 Tim Earl Max. 12 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

2016 £ TBC 2015 £3,995 2016 £ TBC 2015 £875 £500 PER PERSON

LEADERS:

Featuring six nights at the famous Asa Wright Nature Centre on Trinidad, followed by two at a beach hotel in Grande Riviere, and three nights at Blue Waters Inn on Tobago, this 13-day birdwatching tour will introduce you to the natural wildlife riches of the Caribbean - from its rainforests and swamps to its palm-fringed beaches and tropical seabird islands. Nocturnal excursion to see nesting Leatherback Turtles is a special highlight of this late April tour.

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London/Port of Spain*, internal flights, airport taxes, ground transportation, accommodation on a full-board basis, local taxes, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips to local drivers/guides, drinks and other personal expenses.

Richard Thaxton and local guides Max. 12 clients

PRICE: £3,895 SINGLE SUPP: £725 DEPOSIT: £500 PER PERSON Prices are per person and are fully inclusive of scheduled flights from London-Port of Spain/Tobago-London; 6 nights full-board accommodation at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, and 2 nights at the Mt Plaisir Estate Hotel on Trinidad, plus 3 nights at the Blue Waters Inn on Tobago; minibus transport; full programme of birdwatching excursions as described, including boats trips at Caroni Swamp and Little Tobago Island; night excursion to see nesting turtles; all entrance fees/permits; incidental tips, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s.

*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Port of Spain) please deduct £645 per person from the tour cost.

Prices exclude insurance, optional tips to local drivers/guides, drinks & other items of a personal nature.

Both trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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17

NORTH AMERICA – CANADA & USA

Ref 200U -

BREACHING HUMPBACK WHALE ©PEG ABBOTT

BRYCE CANYON ©MIKE READ

Alaska

Utah & Arizona

Spring in America’s finest wilderness

Canyons & wildlife …in the land of the Navajo!

Tues 9 – Sun 21 June 2015 (12 days) Nome pre-tour extension from Thur 4 June 2015 (5 days)

Wednesday 16 – Sunday 27 September 2015 (12 days)

In a world where the treasures of wildlife and wild places are dwindling, Alaska remains a wilderness jewel. More than any place in North America, it retains its wild character and ecological integrity, making a visit here simply a ‘must do’ experience.

We visit in June when we have endless hours of daylight to explore.

It is an active time for birds and wildlife feeding young in the short summer season. Our journey is designed to visit signature landscapes from seacoast to tundra. Look for Moose and a variety of birds in thick spruce forests, circumnavigate seabird islands amid narrow fjords at Kenai, and hike in Denali National Park. We visit wildlife-rich areas near Anchorage, Denali, Seward, and Homer and on our extension, Nome.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Greg Smith Max. 12 clients

PRICES:

MAIN TOUR £5,595 EXTENSION £1,795 MAIN TOUR* £620 EXTENSION £445 £600 PER PERSON

SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

Join us for a fantastic journey through some of the most astounding landscapes in the USA, on a wonderful and unique tour of birdwatching, wildlife, and Native American history. Renew your spirits in the mountains and beautiful red rock canyons of Utah and Arizona: the land of the Navajo!

The Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks are all internationally renowned. This year, we will once again visit two smaller parks we consider no less spectacular, Capitol Reef and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. In between them we find a few treasured, but lesser-known sites such as Antelope Canyon and take an all-day boat excursion on Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge. Navajos called this sacred site the ‘rainbow of stone’, and it truly is one of the wonders of the world.

On the tour we discover a beautiful and intriguing terrain rich in scenic and geological wonders. The plants and animals of the region are fascinating as well. Nature is the theme of our journey as we enjoy great walks, scenic drives, with time to explore and photograph, and to learn alongside an expert for the region.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Greg Smith Max. 12 clients

PRICE: £3,695 SINGLE SUPP: £650 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London – Anchorage, accommodation, most meals as specified in the itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner), park entrance and other activity fees for activities described in the itinerary, the flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks mid-way through your journey, train travel from Fairbanks to Denali and from Denali to Anchorage, the all day boat tour in Kenai Fjords National Park, and the services of the leader(s).

The price is per person and includes return scheduled flights from London – Salt Lake City*, airport taxes, transportation as described above, accommodation, most meals, admissions, local taxes, and the services of the leader/s.

The price excludes meals not mentioned above, airport taxis in Anchorage on arrival and departure days (allow $25 each way), travel insurance, tips to the leader(s), drinks and other personal expenses.

The price excludes travel insurance, meals not mentioned above (allow $30 per dinner and $15 per lunch), optional tips to local guides, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*Please note that single rooms may not be available throughout, and are especially hard to book at North Face Lodge, so are not included there. If we can get any single rooms here we will increase the single supp.

*For an ex-flight price (Salt Lake City/Salt Lake City) please deduct £745 from the tour price.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Naturalist Journeys of the USA.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Naturalist Journeys of the USA.

Please note that we require full payment 18 weeks before departure on all USA tours.

Please note that we require full payment 18 weeks before departure on all USA tours.

**single supps depend on availability.

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NORTH AMERICA – CANADA & USA

Ref 200U -

GREY WHALE ©IAN ROWLANDS

Mexico - Baja California Whales and Birds in the Sea of Cortez Wed 6 - Tue 19 April 2016 (14 days) A leviathan adventure of a lifetime! Join expert Ian Rowlands - who has been visiting Baja for over 15 years - on a 400-mile voyage around the tip of Baja California and witness the thrilling spectacle of Grey Whales in their calving lagoons. For a really close encounter some may even swim right up to our boat. Eye to eye contact with these friendly whales is an experience never to be forgotten. We visit at the best time of year to see them, and those other giants of the sea - Blue, Fin and Humpback Whales - all of which congregate in Baja’s waters each winter.

Each day there will be something new to see and different locations to explore. For those who like to swim and snorkel there is the possibility of swimming with playful Californian Sea Lions and hundreds of colourful fish to be seen. From the boat we will hopefully see Hammerhead Sharks, leaping Mobula Rays, flying fish and turtles such as the docile Loggerhead Turtle. Fiddler Crabs and brightly coloured Sally Lightfoot Crabs scuttle along the tide-lines and shells litter the deserted sandy beaches. Whether it is for the pods of dolphins escorting the boat, whales with calves, feeding or breaching, flocks of seabirds, shoals of colourful fish or snorkelling with sea lions, this cruise is a must for those of you who love to experience a rich diversity of wildlife at its best.

Our cruise is aboard Searcher, we have charted the whole boat (subject to our numbers). This 95ft boat is perfect for whale watching, has a friendly crew of seven, and Captain Art Taylor - a model of a responsible whale watch owner - has been voyaging in Baja for over 30 years. Our own tour leader will be with you throughout the tour and there will also be the ship’s naturalist who will help identify the wildlife and offer an insight into this fascinating area with slide shows, videos and lectures. And finally at the end of each day what better way to spend it on deck, drink in hand, watching some of the most amazing sunsets to be seen anywhere in the world.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

We take a scheduled flight from London to San Diego, California and on arrival transfer to our hotel. Overnight San Diego.

Days 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5-6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13

This Morning is free. In the afternoon you will board Searcher at Fisherman’s Landing.

Islas Todos Santos.

Islas San Benito.

Laguna San Ignacio.

Offshore Bahía Magdalena.

Offshore Cabo San Lucas.

Islas Los Islotes/San Francisco.

Isla San José.

Isla Santa Catalina.

Isla Coronado. 12 nights aboard Searcher.

Arrive in Loreto in the afternoon and after lunch on the boat, transfer to airport for connections back to the UK, arriving on Day 14.

The Boat Searcher has 14 air-conditioned cabins. Cabins are small yet adequate. There are four bathrooms on the main deck, two with showers and two located near the observation deck in the stern.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Ian Rowlands and local naturalist guides Max. 28 clients (subject to singles)

PRICE: £5,495 SINGLE SUPP: £2,995* DEPOSIT: £1,000 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of economy scheduled return flights London-San Diego and Loreto-Los Angeles-London, airport taxes, ground and boat transportation as described, cruise on the Searcher, accommodation in hotels and on the boat, all meals, and the services of the leader, local naturalist guide and boat crew.

The price excludes travel insurance, hire of snorkelling equipment, optional tips to local naturalist guide and boat crew, drinks and other personal expenses. *For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in San Diego/Loreto) please deduct £900 per person from the tour cost. *Due to the limited number of cabins available on the boat, we can only offer 2 singles on a first come first served basis.

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19

NORTH AMERICA – CANADA & USA

Ref 200U -

GREAT GREY OWL ©MIKE READ

LITTLE BLUE HERON ©KEITH GRANT

USA – California

USA – Florida

Pacific Coast & Deserts

Winter Birding in the Sunshine State

Mon 25 August - Fri 4 September 2015 (12 days)

Tue 3 – Sat 14 February 2015 (12 days)

A 12-day birdwatching tour to California, exploring the Pacific coast and deserts of southern California just as the autumn migration is reaching a peak.

Leave all thoughts of winter at home on this 12-day birdwatching tour to subtropical Florida, America’s ‘Sunshine State’.

A wealth of seabirds, waders and passerine migrants plus all those alluring Californian endemics and West Coast specialities to look for - on a journey that will take you from the Salton Sea up into the San Jacinto Mountains, via oases in the Mojave Desert to the incredible scenery of Joshua Tree National Park. Add two special boat trips seeking the unique Island Scrub Jay and cetaceans including Blue Whale, to round off a trip packed with great scenery and birding.

Crowds of winter waders, warblers and wetland birds, along with a host of specialities including Snail Kite, Brown-headed Nuthatch and the endemic Florida Scrub Jay. Add the likes of West Indian Manatee and a wealth of other wonderful wildlife - and you’ve got the ideal winter escape!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 Day 2 Days 3-4

Fly London-Los Angeles. Orange County. Two nights Santa Ana. Orange County birding.

Anza-Borrego State Park, Palm Canyon & Salton Sea. Two nights Brawley.

Day 5 San Jacinto Mountains. Night Twentynine Palms.

Days 6-7 Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave Desert. Two nights Mojave.

Day 8 Mojave to Pacific coast. Three nights Camarillo.

Days 9-10 Two boat trips: Santa Cruz Island and a pelagic for whales and seabirds.

Day 11 Pacific coast. Fly Los Angeles-London arriving Day 12.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 Day 2 Days 3-4 Days 5-6 Days 7-9 Day 10 Day 11

Fly London-Orlando. Two nights Titusville.

Merritt Island.

Kissimmee, Three Lakes and the Lake Placid prairies.

Two nights Sebring.

Old Venus, Corkscrew Swamp, Gulf coast and Big Cypress.

Two nights Naples.

Everglades National Park. Three nights South Miami/Homestead.

Key Largo and Wakodahatchee. Overnight Boca Raton.

Green Cay wetlands. Fly Miami-London arriving on Day 12.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Chris Charlesworth Max. 8 clients

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Arnoud van den Berg Max. 8 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£2,995 £425 £400 PER PERSON

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£2,695 £470 £400 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return Scheduled flights London-Los Angeles; all accommodation, main meals (including tips for restaurant service; 15-20% expected in the USA), minibus transport, two boat trips (as described above), entry fees and permits, road tolls, airport taxes, bird checklist and services of the leaders.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights London Gatwick to Orlando and Miami to London Heathrow; all accommodation, main meals, minibus transport, gratuities for all meals (15-20% expected in North America), permits/park entry fees, tips, tolls, airport taxes, map, bird checklist & services of the leader.

Price excludes insurance, ESTA (US $14; see page 10 below), drinks & other items of a personal nature.

Price excludes insurance, ESTA (US $14; see page 9 below), drinks & other items of a personal nature.

*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Los Angeles) please deduct £595 per person from the tour cost.

*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Orlando/Miami) please deduct £500 per person from the tour cost.

Please note that we require full payment 18 weeks before departure on all USA tours.

Please note that we require full payment 18 weeks before departure on all USA tours.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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20

NORTH AMERICA – CANADA & USA

Ref 200U -

HUMPBACK WHALE ©MIKE READ

AMERICAN BALD EAGLE ©REBECCA NASON

POLAR BEAR ©JAMIE MCMILLAN

Canada – Grand Manan

Canada – Alberta

Canada – Churchill

Birds and whales

The Great Plains & Rocky Mountains

‘Realm of the Ice-Bear’

Mon 17 - Wed 28 August 2015 (10 days) Join us for an early autumn bird and whale spectacular on Canada’s eastern seaboard shorebirds and warblers on migration, excellent seabird possibilities, and probably the best time for whale watching.

New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy is one of the marine wonders of the world, an amazing eco-system powered by the highest tides in the world… Charging through submarine canyons, Fundy’s mighty currents create cold-water upwellings resulting in an abundance of food for marine life and producing one of the greatest and most accessible - concentrations of whales and seabirds in the North Atlantic. Fin, Minke, Humpback and the extremely rare Northern Right Whale congregate here in August to feed their young, play and mate.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Tuesday 2 – Sunday 14 June 2015 (13 days) A 13-day, small group birdwatching tour to southern Alberta, where Canada’s vast Great Plains meet the majestic Rocky Mountains.

Once grazed by great herds of American Bison, the sweeping grasslands are home to some of North America’s most sought-after breeding birds: Ferruginous Hawk, Upland Sandpiper, McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Lark Bunting, Baird’s Sparrow and Sprague’s Pipit to name a few.

Add the scenic Rockies, where regal Trumpeter Swans paddle on pristine lakes and the mammal watching is second to none, plus visits to some important historic sites, for one superb tour.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Tim Earl Max. 12 clients

Chris Charlesworth Max. 8 clients

PRICE: £3,545 SINGLE SUPP: £545 DEPOSIT: £500 PER PERSON

PRICE: £3,495 SINGLE SUPP: £395 DEPOSIT: £400 PER PERSON The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London - Halifax*, airport taxes, ground transportation, ferries, accommodation on a full-board basis, local taxes, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

Prices are per person and fully inclusive of scheduled flights London-Calgary and Calgary-London return; all accommodation, meals, ground transportation, all excursions, entry fees and permits, gratuities for all meals (15-20% expected in N America), airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s throughout.

The price excludes travel insurance, optional tips to local guides, drinks and other personal expenses.

Prices exclude insurance, drinks & other items of a personal nature.

*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Halifax) please deduct £645 from the tour cost.

*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Calgary) please deduct £645 from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

October – November 2014 and 2015 (6 days) Churchill, in Arctic Canada is simply the best place in the world to see Polar bears!

These magnificent creatures can be viewed and photographed on the Arctic Tundra from the comfort of our specially designed vehicles- often at incredibly close quarters! Combine this with the fact that Churchill is one of the most active places in the world for Aurora Borealis, and this tour could arguably offer the arctic experience of a lifetime!

LEADER: NUMBERS:

PRICE:

2014 £3,385 2015 £3,565 SINGLE SUPP: 2014 £865 2015 £910 DEPOSIT: £500 PER PERSON Single room to be requested at time of booking (may not always be available) The price includes, five nights accommodation (two nights Winnipeg, three nights Churchill), welcome reception in Winnipeg, airfare innipeg/Churchill/Winnipeg, Airport/Hotel Transfers in Churchill and Winnipeg, meals as specified, services of a Naturalist Guide, welcome package, two full day Tundra Buggy Tours, town and Area Tour.

Please Note: in 2014 the tour price also includes: An after hours privately catered dinner and exclusive tour of the historic Manitoba Museum on Day 2, and a dog sledding expedition in the boreal forest on Day 4.

The price does not include, tours or transfers other than indicated, meals other than indicated, items of a personal nature, insurance, gratuities, UK/ Winnipeg/ UK Airfare, Air Fees/Taxes $150.00

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21

AFRICA (SOUTH OF THE SAHARA)

Ref 200U -

BLUE-BREASTED KINGFISHER ©ASHLEY GROVE

RED-CHEEKED CORDON-BLEU ©ASHLEY GROVE

Gambia & Senegal

Gambia & Senegal

Superb West African birdwatching

Photographic Tour

Fri 6 - Fri 20 November 2015 (15 days)

Fri 4 - Fri 18 December 2015 (15 days)

Join us for some wonderful tropical birding, with parrots, hornbills, rollers, bee-eaters, sunbirds, kingfishers, and more than a dozen species of heron - all only six hours away from the UK.

The Gambia has long been a top destination for birdwatchers, attracted by its huge variety of colourful and approachable birdlife. In these modern times where more people are turning to wildlife photography, it’s only right that we should tailor a tour to cater for these needs.

The Gambia is a small, narrow country running up the River Gambia and completely surrounded by Senegal or the sea. Yet there is a wide variety of habitats within just a few miles: estuary, mangrove swamp, riverine forest, marshland, and the edge of the West African Savannah Forest.

The Gambia makes an ideal introduction to African birdwatching coupled as it is with comfortable hotels on the coast, and a friendly welcome from the locals! Our trip also visits the fabulous Saloum Delta in Senegal. We spend the first week in Gambia on the coast, then travel into Senegal and up the River Gambia during the second week, to make up a fabulous fortnight’s feast of African birding.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

John Muddeman & local guides Max. 12 clients

Along with a local guide, Ashley Grove a wildlife photographer of many years and expert on the birdlife of The Gambia will be on hand to get you close to some of the countries iconic species. Whether you are a capable photographer or just starting out, Ashley will be able to offer the necessary guidance required for your level of experience.

The focus for this tour is not the number of species we can find, it is about getting you close enough, for long enough, to capture a set of unforgettable moments and images from your trip of some truly unique species that you will treasure for years to come!

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Ashley Grove & local guides Max. 12 clients

PRICE: £2,495 SINGLE SUPP: £225 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON

PRICE: £2,995 SINGLE SUPP: £225 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON

The prices are per person and includes return charter flights from Gatwick to The Gambia, accommodation as outlined, all meals, excursions as outlined above and the services of the leaders.

The prices are per person and includes return charter flights from Gatwick to The Gambia, accommodation as outlined, all meals, excursions as outlined above and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips for the driver and local guide, drinks and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips for the driver and local guide, drinks and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in The Gambia) please deduct £600 from the tour cost.

*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in The Gambia) please deduct £600 from the tour cost.

Please Note: that there are options to upgrade to ‘premier class’ with extra leg-room on the flights (please enquire for cost).

Please Note: that there are options to upgrade to ‘premier class’ with extra leg-room on the flights (please enquire for cost).

Please Note: that it may be possible to fly to The Gambia from UK regional airports – please contact us for details.

Please Note: that it may be possible to fly to The Gambia from UK regional airports – please contact us for details.

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AFRICA (SOUTH OF THE SAHARA)

Ref 200U -

VERREAUX’S SIFAKA LEMUR ©CLIFF GILBERT

Madagascar Land of the Lemur Wed 2 - Wed 16 September 2015 (14 days) Separated from the African continent by just a few hundred miles of sea but more than a hundred million years in time, Madagascar is really a tiny continent all of its own. Here evolution has followed a quite distinct course, producing a whole range of life-forms that are found nowhere else on earth.

Join us for a fascinating fortnight in the land of the lemur!

Madagascar is the fourth-largest island in the world, having severed the land-ties to Africa more than 100 million years ago. This vast span of time, coupled with the size of the land-mass and a great variety of landforms, has enabled the forces of evolution to play, to experiment, and now to dazzle wildlife enthusiasts with a range of creatures and plants both bizarre and unique.

Madagascar is home to more than half the world’s chameleons including Parson’s Chameleon, the world’s largest at up to 60cm, and some quite extraordinary geckos. But perhaps the most famous group of creatures on the island are the lemurs, entirely confined to Madagascar and the nearby Comoro Islands. Lemurs are one of the most primitive groups of primates which have evolved into a stunning range of species ranging from the howling Indri, which greets the dawn in Périnet with its echoing calls, to the tiny nocturnal Mouse Lemurs.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-2

Days 3-5

We depart London in the evening and fly to Johannesburg, where we arrive the next day and connect with a flight to Antananarivo (known as Tana). Overnight Tana.

We catch an internal flight south to Fort Dauphin (where we may overnight if the flight arrives late) we then travel to Berenty private reserve. Two nights Berenty Lodge, overnight Fort Dauphin (order depending on flight times).

Day 6

We drive to Fort Dauphin airport to catch a local flight to Tulear on the south-west coast. Overnight Tulear.

Day 7 We drive to Isalo with a stop for birdwatching at the Zombitse Forest. Overnight Isalo.

Days 8-9 Two nights Ranomafana.

Day 10 Overnight Antsirabe.

Days 11-13 Three nights Périnet.

Day 14 If time permits, we’ll have a final morning near Périnet before driving back to Tana and catching our flight home, arriving on Day 15.

Accommodation Standards vary from excellent at Périnet to basic-but-adequate at Ranomafana.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Barrie Cooper and local guides Max. 14 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£4,495 £595 £600 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return economy scheduled flights London-Antananarivo, internal flights, full board accommodation, transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes travel insurance, Madagascar Visa (c£40), optional tips to local drivers and guides, drinks and other personal expenses. *For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Tana) please deduct £995 per person from the tour cost.

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23

AFRICA (SOUTH OF THE SAHARA)

Ref 200U -

SOSSUSVLEI DUNES ©GEOFF CRANE

FLOWERS OF THE KALAHARI ©GEOFF CRANE

Namibia

South Africa

The Skeleton Coast and Etosha

Mammals, birds & spring flowers from the Kalahari to the Cape

Sun 25 October - Sun 8 November 2015 (15 days) Join Geoff Crane for a tour of one of Africa’s last great wilderness areas, with some truly magnificent scenery, and superb birds and wildlife.

Namibia has some of the most impressive desert scenery, one of Africa’s most bird-rich coastlines, some of the most dramatic dunes in the world, rocky central uplands, the wetlands of the coast, and Etosha, one of Africa’s finest wildlife reserves. Our tour aim is to visit all these areas to give a comprehensive experience of a most fascinating country, and to see a good range of its bird and wildlife.

Endemic birds are an important aspect of birding in Namibia and on this tour we should have an opportunity to see many of them. Our tour starts in the capital city of Windhoek and moves on to the awe-inspiring dunes of Sossusvlei, from where we move on to the famous ‘Skeleton Coast’ at Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. The wildlife climax of the trip will be at Etosha National Park with a superb array of birds and mammals.

Our final stop is Waterberg Plateau Reserve, an area of deciduous woodland surrounded by semi-dry acacia forest, where we will look for Rosy-faced Lovebird among many other species.

The end of October and November is the end of the dry season, and is great for wildlife watching as it is all concentrated around the waterholes.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

Sun 16 - Sun 30 August 2015 (17 days) During our two week Kalahari to the Cape Safari we travel through many different vegetation habitats which in turn play host to a multitude of birds, mammals, flowers, reptiles & insects.

The Kalahari National Park recently renamed Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, is a chance to see one of the last true wilderness reserves in the world, where Kalahari Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Gemsbok and many other mammal species can be seen. Characterised by it’s red sand dunes, sparse vegetation and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob rivers, where camel thorn, raisin bush and black thorn attract over 215 bird species to their welcoming cool shade. Add to this, dramatic mountain scenery, unique fynbos vegation at sea level, and on top of Table Mountain, the kaleidoscopic colour of the world famous Namaqualand in full spring bloom with the highest concentration of endemic birds in Southern Africa, and you have a varied trip packed with astoundingly beautiful landscapes and wildlife. So, join us at a time of year when the flowers and birds here are at their best, and when whales are displaying close inshore!

We spend 6 days in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park & Augrabies Falls National Parks before driving South to the spring flowers of Namaqualand.

We end off the trip with four days in the spectacular Cape.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRICE REDUCTION! LEADER: NUMBERS:

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Geoff Crane Max. 8 clients

Geoff Crane Max. 8 clients

PRICE: £4,795 SINGLE SUPP: £345 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON

PRICE: £3,995 SINGLE SUPP: £345 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON

The price per person includes scheduled return flights from London to Windhoek, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London/Cape Town*, airport taxes, ground transportation and excursions as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the drivers and local guides, and other personal expenses.

* For a price excluding flights to and from Windhoek, please deduct £795 from the tour price.

*For an ex-flight cost (Upington/Cape Town) please deduct £795 from the tour cost.

T H E T RAV E L L I N G N AT U RA L I S T

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24

AFRICA (SOUTH OF THE SAHARA)

Ref 200U -

HERMANUS, RUGGED COASTLINE SOUTHERN CAPE ©GEOFF CRANE

THE VIEW FROM TABLE MOUNTAIN ©BOB GIBBONS

WALKING IN THE DRAKENSBERG ©GEOFF CRANE

South Africa

South Africa

South Africa

Flowers, birds and mammals of the Cape & Karoo

Flowers and Wildlife of the Cape and Garden Route

Flowers and Wildlife of the Drakensberg and Zululand

Sat 10 - Sun 25 January 2015 (16 days)

Sun 4 - Sun 18 October 2015 (15 days)

Tues 17 - Tues 31 March 2015 (15 days)

From the flowers, and stunning scenery of the Cape, across to the dramatic Karoo, over to the Eastern Cape including the fabulous Addo Elephant Park, and back along the beautiful Garden Route, we visit an astoundingly beautiful and varied land, rich in wildlife.

From the flowers, whales, birds and stunning scenery of the Cape, along the west coast, across to the Karoo, and back along the beautiful Garden Route, we visit an astoundingly beautiful and varied land, rich in wildlife.

Join Geoff Crane for a Botanical Safari of South Africa’s Drakensberg & Zululand. After 8 days walking and botanising in the superb Drakensberg Mountains, we spend a few days botanising and birding in a private game reserve in Zululand followed by a few days in the Highveld – the montane grasslands that surround Wakkerstroom.

Starting in Cape Town, we spend three days experiencing the wonders of the Cape, including the world famous Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, and Rondevlei & Strandfontein Bird Reserves with their prolific birdlife. We then head north into the Great Karoo for two nights with its dramatic Karoo landscape. We spend five days in the Eastern Cape, staying in The Mountain Zebra and the Addo Elephant National Parks, where we can view a wide range of game and birdlife before returning to the Cape via the indigenous forests of the Garden Route, where we spend three nights.

Last but not least, we visit the coastal town of Hermanus, the hotspot of the Cape fynbos.

Join us at a time of year which is excellent for flowers and mammals, when all the migrant birds are here, and when the UK is in the throes of winter!

PRICE REDUCTION! LEADER: NUMBERS:

We start in Cape Town, known for its dramatic mountain scenery and unique fynbos vegetation, travel up the west coast to Langebaan Lagoon, rich in birds and with a wealth of flowers, and on up to Lambert’s Bay, with its accessible Cape Gannet colony. We then head inland to an area of red sandstone rocks and ancient rock art, and on to the Karoo, with its array of drought-adapted succulent plants and specialised birds. South through spectacular mountain passes, we eventually reach the famed Garden Route, with rich forests and birdlife. We finish the tour in one of the best places in the world for shore-based whale-watching, where we hope to see Southern Right Whales doing some dramatic display activities!

Join us at a time of year when the flowers and birds here are at their best, and when whales are displaying close inshore! Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRICE REDUCTION!

Geoff Crane Max. 8 clients

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Geoff Crane Max. 8 clients

The Drakensberg Mountains are a World Heritage Site and a veritable botanical treasure chest! We will spend six days leisurely walking & botanising the many trails, looking out for some of the 2000+ flowering plant species, all the while surrounded by the magnificent mountains of the Drakensberg.

The fauna is equally impressive with 290 bird species & 48 mammal species seen to date.

We then spend three days game watching and birdwatching at the Bonamanzi Private Game Reserve, which is also a World Heritage Site, followed by a few days birding and botanising in the montane grasslands that surround the fabulous wetlands of Wakkerstroom.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRICE REDUCTION! LEADER: NUMBERS:

Geoff Crane Max. 8 clients

PRICE: £3,995 SINGLE SUPP: £345 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON

PRICE: £3,995 SINGLE SUPP: £345 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON

PRICE: £3,995 SINGLE SUPP: £345 DEPOSIT: £600 PER PERSON

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London/Cape Town*, airport taxes, ground transportation and excursions as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London/Cape Town*, airport taxes, ground transportation and excursions as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price per person includes scheduled return flights from London to Johannesburg, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the driver/local guides, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the driver/local guides, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost (Cape Town/Cape Town) please deduct £795 from the tour cost.

*For an ex-flight cost (Cape Town/Cape Town) please deduct £795 from the tour cost.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost (Johannesburg/Johannesburg) please deduct £695 from the tour cost. **Single accommodation may not be available throughout.

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25

AFRICA (SOUTH OF THE SAHARA)

Ref 200U -

GROUND HORNBILL ©CLIFF GILBERT

LEOPARD IS AN EVER PRESENT POSSIBILITY ©MIKE READ

South Africa

South Africa

The Kruger and Zululand

Birds & Big Cats

Mon 26 October - Sat 7 November 2015 (15 days)

Mon 31 August – Sat 12 September 2015 (13 days)

From the big game of the Kruger National Park, to the highveld grasslands and stunning scenery of the former Transvaal, through the lowland savannah and coast of Natal, to the coastal wetlands of Zululand, we visit an astoundingly beautiful and varied land, rich in wildlife.

A birdwatching and wildlife tour to South Africa’s rich north-east corner, taking in the highveld, the Kruger National Park and a superb private reserve with unparalleled opportunities to see Lion, Leopard and other mammals.

We start in the highveld of Dullstroom with superb birdwatching, before continuing to the fabulous Kruger National Park, with wonderful birds and an abundance of large mammals. From here we head back up into the highveld of the former Transvaal, where the open grasslands are home to Blue and Crowned Cranes and delightful Meerkats. Then we continue south and east to Zululand, whose lowland savannas and coastal wetlands form probably the very best birdwatching area in South Africa.

Finally, the pleasant coastal town of St Lucia is a great place to finish the tour, with a whale-watching trip if the weather is kind.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-3

We take an evening scheduled flight from London to Johannesburg, arriving early on Day 2. Two nights Dullstroom.

Days 4-7 Four nights Kruger National Park.

Days 8-9 Two nights Wakkerstroom.

Days 10-11 Two nights Tembe Elephant Reserve.

Days 12-13 Two nights St Lucia.

Day 14 We drive to Durban to connect with our flight returning to London via Johannesburg, arriving on Day 15.

Accommodation Accommodation all en-suite, in camps, small hotels and guesthouses.

In Tembe we will stay in spacious safari tents.

South Africa is world-renowned for its incredible biological diversity, and nowhere is this more evident than in the north-east of the country. Within a day’s drive one can go from cool 2,000 metre-plus grasslands to hot, subtropical savannah at no more than 250 metres above sea level. For the birder and wildlife enthusiast this translates into a superb range of species to be seen and is the ideal introduction to the region’s avifauna and wildlife in general.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

We take an evening scheduled flight from London to Johannesburg, arriving early on Day 2.

Days 2-3 Two nights Dullstroom.

Days 4-5 Two nights Mount Sheba.

Days 6-7 Two nights Skukuza.

Days 8-9 Two nights Satara Rest Camp.

Days 10-11 Two nights Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Day 12 After a final safari at Sabi Sand Game Reserve we’ll have breakfast and head back to Johannesburg, a seven hour drive away. Our flight returning to London departs in the evening, arriving on Day 13.

Accommodation Accommodation will be medium to high quality, in lodges, hotels and National Park rest-camps. All accommodation is en suite.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: Bert Palthe NUMBERS: Max. 14 clients

PRINCIPAL LEADER: Bert Palthe NUMBERS: Max. 10 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£4,295 £400 £600 PER PERSON

£4,295 £465 £600 PER PERSON

All prices are per person unless stated and include scheduled flights London/ Johannesburg and Durban/London*, airport taxes, ground transportation and excursions as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

All prices are per person unless stated and include scheduled flights London/ Johannesburg, airport taxes, ground transportation and excursions as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, bottled water in the vehicle, park & reserve entrance fees, local taxes, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to local guides/drivers, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to local guides/drivers, and other personal expenses.

*For a price ex-flights London/Johannesburg please deduct £795 from the tour price. **Single accommodation may not be available throughout.

*For a price ex-flights London/Johannesburg please deduct £795 from the tour price. **Single accommodation may not be available throughout.

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26

AFRICA (SOUTH OF THE SAHARA)

Ref 200U -

HIPPOS AND LONG-TOED PLOVER ©MIKE READ

LION PEERS OUT OF THE BUSH ©MIKE READ

Botswana & Zambia

Tanzania

Okavango Delta & Victoria Falls

Birds & Big Cats

Monday 2 - Friday 13 March 2015 (12 days)

Sunday 3 - Thursday 14 May 2015 (12 days)

Join our Africa specialist Callan Cohen on a 12-day “fly-in safari” to one of the last great wilderness areas on the planet - the fragile Okavango Delta. We’ll take small charter planes and boats into the Delta, where we stay in small, exclusive camps surrounded by the African bush. We’ll also visit Chobe National Park, famous for its riverfront birding and game-watching, and see the incomparable Victoria Falls in adjacent Zambia.

Timed to coincide with the incredible migration of Wildebeest through the Serengeti plain, this safari offers a superabundance of East African birds and mammals, in a dramatic and amazingly beautiful setting - join our Africa specialists, Dalton Gibbs, for the greatest wildlife experience on Earth!

Talk to anyone who has visited Botswana and you will know that here is the ultimate African experience! “Like Kenya used to be” is the phrase often applied, for the as yet unspoilt wilderness of this landlocked southern African country is blessed with abundant birdlife and plentiful mammals.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1-2

Fly London via Johannesburg to Livingstone (Zambia). Transfer to guesthouse on the Zambezi River. Overnight Livingstone Days 3-5 Victoria Falls and cross border into Botswana. Three nights Chobe National Park.

Days 6-10 Fly to the Okavango Delta. Three nights at Sango Camp in the wildlife-rich Khwai concession on the edge of Moremi National Park; Two nights at Delta camp on an island in the central Delta) Day 11 Fly to Maun. Fly Maun-Johannesburg-London Day 12 Arrival in London Accommodation We will be in camps, small hotels and guesthouses. The style is usually in cottages, chalets and rondavels, and is much favoured by South Africans themselves. In Tembe we will be staying in spacious safari tents.

All accommodation is en suite.

Northern Tanzania offers the ultimate wildlife experience. Its forests, lakes and savannas teem with birds, including a suite of Serengeti endemics.

There are also extraordinary numbers of large mammals, from unimaginable herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle tramping across the plains through to predators such as Lion, Leopard and Cheetah. Yet, even without this superabundance of wildlife, the backcloth to our tour is magnificent!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5-6 Days 7-8 Days 9-10

Fly London-Kilimanjaro.

Arusha National Park. Two nights Arusha.

Arusha to Lake Manyara.

Tarangire National Park. Two nights Lake Manyara.

Lake Manyara to Ndutu grass plains. Two nights Ndutu.

Serengeti National Park. Two nights Serengeti.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Crater. Two nights .

Ngorongoro Crater Rim. Day 11 Lake Manyara escarpment. Evening flight Kilimanjaro-London.

Day 12 Arrival in London.

Accommodation We stay at a hand-picked selection of excellent hotels, guest houses, safari lodges and permanent tented camps. All rooms have private facilities.

Dalton Gibbs Max. 12 clients

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Callan Cohen Max. 10 clients

LEADER: NUMBERS:

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£6,195 £625 £600 PER PERSON

PRICE: £4,895 SINGLE SUPP: £425 DEPOSIT: £500 PER PERSON

Cost includes return scheduled flights London-Livingstone/Maun-London (please see flights above), transfers by light aircraft between the lodges in Botswana (as outlined in the detailed itinerary), all accommodation, meals, surface transportation including boat trips as described, entry fees to the parks, tips to local drivers/guides, airport taxes, map, bird & mammals checklist and services of the leader.

The price excludes holiday insurance, Zambian visa (approx. £38), drinks and other items of a personal nature. *For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Livingstone/Maun) please deduct £900 per person from the tour cost.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights LondonKilimanjaro, all accommodation, meals, surface transport, entry fees to the parks, tips to local drivers/guides, airport taxes, map, bird & mammals checklist and services of the leaders.

The price excludes insurance, visa (approx. £38), drinks & other items of a personal nature. *For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Kilimanjaro) please deduct £700 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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27

INDIAN OCEAN

Ref 200U -

STRIPED DOLPHIN © CHRIS MILNER

PLUM-HEADED PARAKEET © ROBIN CHITTENDEN

The Maldives

Sri Lanka

Whale & Dolphin Watching in the Indian Ocean

Jewel of the Indian Ocean

Fri 20 February – Tues 3 March 2015 (12 days) aboard M/V Dive Master Fri 3 – Tues 14 April 2015 (12 days) aboard M/V Keana Fri 25 September – Tues 6 October 2015 (12 days) aboard M/V Keana For 2016 departure dates please enquire The Maldives is a small island nation in the central Indian Ocean, some 400 miles southwest of the southern tip of India.

These really are the picture postcard islands of your dreams, with swaying palm trees, white sand beaches and turquoise lagoons offering some of the very best whale and dolphin watching in the world. 2015 will be our seventh year of trips.

We cruise through the Maldives to view whales, dolphins and seabirds on board our specially chartered 26m ‘live-aboard’ safari vessels, M.V. Dive Master & M.V Keana. All cabins are en-suite and air-conditioned. We will travel with a maximum of just 16 clients. Dive Master & Keana are not luxurious, but are comfortable and quite adequate for our needs. *The trip itinerary includes two nights accommodation in Male (one night each before and after the cruise) and seven nights onboard our vessel whale, dolphin and seabird watching in the central atolls.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Dr Charles Anderson. Please note that only one leader will accompany this cruise.

Max.16 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP**: UPPER CABIN SUPP**: DEPOSIT:

Thur 13 - Thur 27 November 2014 (15 days) Sun 1 – Sun 15 February 2015 (15 days) Thur 19 November - Thur 3 December 2015 (15 days) A 15-day birdwatching tour in search of Sri Lanka’s endemic birds among a host of exquisite winter visitors and Southern India specialities. With Asian Elephant and good chance of Leopard among mammal highlights, this is also an excellent trip for butterflies.

It would be difficult to think of a more perfect destination for birdwatchers to escape the winter blues than the beautiful tropical island of Sri Lanka.

For, despite lying so close to the southern tip of India, this Indian Ocean paradise has been isolated from the rest of Asia for so long as to have evolved more than 30 species of endemic birds. With well over 200 species likely on this tour, what could be better than spending a winter’s fortnight in the tropics, getting to know the birdlife of one of the world’s most enchanting island paradises?

Accommodation is more rustic and remote for our two nights at Blue Magpie Lodge, where rooms are simply furnished.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADERS:

£3,345 £740 £290 PER CABIN (DIVE MASTER ONLY) £500 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of economy scheduled return flights London-Malé*, airport taxes, Government Tourist Tax, atoll permits, full board accommodation, boat transport as described, incidental tips and the services of the leader and guide.

The price excludes diving (approx 40 Euros per dive booked in advance), travel insurance, optional tips to local boat crew, drinks and other personal expenses. **A very limited number of cabins are available as singles, and there are a few upper cabins available with a supplement.

TAILOR-MADE EXTENSIONS AND UPGRADES If any clients would like to extend their stay with more time in the beautiful Maldives, why not stay on a resort island immediately before or after your whale watching trip? We would be happy to provide a quote. We can also quote for flight upgrades.

NUMBERS:

Robin Chittenden or Gary Elton, Tharanga Herath & local guides November Robin Chittenden or Gary Elton, Tharanga Herath & local guides Max.12 clients

February

PRICE: FEB £2,945 SINGLE SUPP: FEB £345 DEPOSIT: £400 PER PERSON

NOV £2,995 NOV £360

Prices are per person and include return scheduled flights London-Colombo; all accommodation, meals, surface transport (including 4WD in the parks, as necessary), entrance fees and permits, tips, airport taxes, map, bird and mammal checklist, and services of the leaders and local guides.

Prices exclude Insurance, visa costs, drinks & other items of a personal nature.

As of 1 Jan 2012, all travellers to Sri Lanka must obtain an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) online prior to travel - see Passport & Visa section, below. *For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Colombo) please deduct £525 per person from the tour cost.

These trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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28

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Ref 200U -

GALAH ©JOHN CARNEMOLLA

SUPERB FAIRYWREN

Eastern Australia

Western Australia

Blue Mountains, Cairns & O’Reilly’s

Birds, Mammals & Flowers of the Gold-rush Country

Thursday 6 - Monday 24 November 2014 (19 days) Thursday 5 - Monday 23 November 2015 (19 days) From the rainforests of Queensland to the seabirds of the Great Barrier Reef, and from the Bowerbirds of O’Reilly’s to the Lyrebirds of New South Wales, we travel to some of the finest wildlife areas within this amazing biological world-of-its-own on this classic Eastern Australia tour!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-2 Day 3 Day 4 Days 5-6 Day 7 Day 8 Days 9-10 Days 11-12 Day 13 Day 14 Days 15-17 Days 18-19

Fly London-Sydney Morning arrival Sydney. Botany Bay, Royal National Park & Port Hacking boat trip. Two nights Jamberoo.

Barren Grounds, Budderoo & Minnamurra Rainforest Centre.

Blue Mountains: Kings Tableland, Mt Victoria and Megalong Valley.

Two nights Katoomba.

Lithgow and Capertee Valley. Overnight Glen Davis.

Capertee Valley, fly Sydney-Cairns, Redden Island.

Overnight Mossman.

Daintree River cruise, Daintree National Park. Two nights Kingfisher Park.

Atherton Tablelands. Two nights Chambers, Lake Eacham.

Cairns Waterfront & Centenary Lakes. Two nights Cairns.

Full day aboard Ocean Spirit out to Michaelmas Cay & the Great Barrier Reef.

Fly Cairns-Brisbane. Three nights O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.

Fly Brisbane-London.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Peter Taylor Max. 8 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

2014 £6,195 2015 £6,195 2014 £635 2015 £655 £700 PER PERSON

The price is per person and is fully inclusive of international and domestic flights London-Sydney, Sydney-Cairns, Cairns-Brisbane and Brisbane-London, accommodation on a full-board basis, ground transportation, boat trips as outlined above, entry fees/permits, all airport and local taxes, tips, bird checklist, map, local guide fees and the services of the leader/s.

The price excludes insurance, Aussie visa/ETA, drinks and other personal expenses.

Sunday 12 - Tuesday 28 October 2014 (17 days) Sunday 11 - Tuesday 27 October 2015 (17 days) A comprehensive 17-day birdwatching tour to Western Australia, with its many endemic birds and mammals - and timed to coincide with displays of wildflowers acclaimed among the finest anywhere in the world – so pack your swags and join us down-under!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 Days 2-3

Depart London for Perth Afternoon arrival, Day 2. King’s Park and Rottnest Island cruise.

Two nights Perth.

Days 4-5 Herdsman Lake, Darling Ranges, Wagin Lakes, Dryandra Woodlands.

Two nights Narrogin.

Day 6 Dryandra, Lake Yealering & Kodj Kodjin Nature Reserve.

Overnight Merredin.

Days 7-8 Sandford, Rowles Lagoon, Boorabbin and Goongarrie Nat Parks.

Two nights Kalgoorlie.

Days 9-10 Peak Charles, Woody Island Cruise & Esperance Salt Lakes.

Two nights Esperance.

Day 11 Fitzgerald River National Park. Overnight Jerramungup.

Day12 Cheynes Beach and Waychinicup Nature Reserve.

Overnight Cheynes Beach.

Days 13-14 Stirling Ranges, Lake Muir, Yeagarup Dunes & Warren River.

Two nights Pemberton.

Day 15 Capes Leeuwin & Naturaliste and the Vasse-Wonnerup Wetlands.

Overnight Busselton.

Days 16-17 Fly Perth-London, arriving home Day 17.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Peter Taylor Max. 8 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

2014 £5,245 2015 £5,395 2014 £675 2015 £675 £600 PER PERSON

Price is per person and is fully inclusive of scheduled economy class return flights London-Perth, all accommodation and meals, minibus transportation, boat trips (as outlined above), all airport and local taxes, incidental tips, bird checklist, map, local guide fees and the services of the leader/s.

Cost excludes insurance, Aussie visa/ETA, drinks and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Sydney/Brisbane) please deduct £900 per person from the tour cost.

Accommodation All en suite, except for one night at Cheynes Beach, where some bathroom facilities may be shared.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

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MOUNT COOK & LAKE PUKAKI NEW ZEALAND ©SHAUN JEFFERS

New Zealand

OUTLINE ITINERARY

Natural History Sun 4 – Wed 21 January 2015 (18 days) Murihiku Extension Tues 20 – Sat 24 January 2015 (4 days) New Zealand is justly famed for its stunningly beautiful and varied landscape of coastline, forests, mountains and fjords, and its hard-to-match array of endemic wildlife. Join us as we roam its land and seas in search of this country’s unique and often endangered flowers and wildlife, on a trip devised for us by New Zealand’s foremost wildlife tour operator, Mark Hanger.

A hundred million years of isolation have made New Zealand very much a world apart in evolutionary terms. The absence of land mammals have given its native birds room to adapt and move into the mammal niches, relatively free of predators. Thus they have evolved into a truly fascinating avifauna, including the famous nocturnal flightless Kiwi, but with many other uniquelyformed, and often very tame species.

The plants are also highly distinctive, and we shall be seeing a splendid range of these as we travel through the New Zealand summer. Perhaps best of all, though, there is the spectacular scenery. This ranges from the hot geysers and volcanic springs of North Island to the fjords, alpine glaciers and rushing rivers of South Island, dominated by towering Mount Cook, and culminating in the awesome granite peaks of Fiordland.

Our tour aims to be the botanical and wildlife trip of a lifetime, covering the islands from north to south, and visiting a superb range of the New Zealand habitats on land and sea.

This tour can be incorporated into your own private visit to New Zealand.

We can organise your flights out on any days you choose, or leave you to make your own arrangements.

Days 1-2 Days 3-4 Days 5-6 Day 7 Days 8-9 Days 10-11 Days 12-13 Days 14-15 Day 16 Day 17

We take a scheduled flight from London - Auckland.

Two nights Auckland Two nights Taupo Overnight Mt Ruapehu Two nights St Arnaud Two nights Kaikoura Two nights Lake Ohau Two nights Te Anau Overnight Dunedin We return across the southern South Island to Dunedin to connect with our flight north to Auckland, and our homeward flight, arriving in London on Day 18.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Geoff Henderson Max. 14 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£5,995 EXT: £1,495 £700 EXT: £150 £1000 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights* LondonAuckland, internal flights as specified, airport taxes, full board accommodation, road and boat transport as described, incidental tips, and the services of the leader(s).

The price excludes travel insurance, optional tips to the local guide/s and driver, drinks and other personal expenses. *For a price excluding the flights London-Auckland return, please deduct £1295 from the tour cost. If you are booking your own flights please contact us first to check that the times fit with the current itinerary.

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POLAR BEAR & CUBS ©REBECCA NASON

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 GREY PHALAROPE ©REBECCA NASON

Spitsbergen

Day 2

The accessible High Arctic in Summer Mon 13 - Thur 23 July 2015 (11 days)

Day 11

A cruise to the true High Arctic, to witness its countless seabirds, its wildfowl and waders on their breeding grounds, and its whales, seals, Polar Bears and Walruses! We’ve chosen one of the very best times of year to circumnavigate the island of Spitsbergen and explore this most accessible of high arctic regions.

Spitsbergen, with its rugged mountains, fjords, sweeping tundra, ice caps and glaciers, is the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, and only 600 miles from the North Pole. In June the southern part of Spitsbergen becomes ice-free, but it is not until July that the whole of the island’s coast opens up to ice-strengthened vessels. It is then that, with luck, we can visit the remote north and east coasts with their abundance of arctic wildlife, to encounter millions of Little Auks and other seabirds, whales, Polar Bears and Walruses.

At this time of year, during the brief Arctic summer, Spitsbergen has constant daylight. The tundra responds with a rich array of flowers where Reindeer graze, while birds rush to raise their young before the Arctic winter sets in.

The cruise will be on the Ortelius, an expedition cruise ship that spends much of its time in the Arctic and Antarctic, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions. Shore excursions will be made by Zodiac, and we’ll be in the experienced hands of the Oceanwide guides.

An expedition cruise is always exciting because of its unpredictability.

Every decision made by the expedition leader is based on weather, sea ice, travelling times, and, of course, the appearance of wildlife – especially Polar Bears!

A final warning – these cruises book up early – please don’t leave it too late or all the cabins will have gone!

Please see our Wild Ambitions website for more Spitsbergen cruises – there are shorter cruises available at less cost.

We take an evening flight to Oslo where we stay overnight, or, alternatively, depending on flight schedules, we may continue to Longyearbyen for an overnight stay there. Overnight Oslo/ Longyearbyen.

We fly from Oslo to Longyearbyen arriving either at lunchtime or in the early hours of the morning. We embark on the Ortelius in the afternoon. Nine nights cruise onboard.

We disembark at Longyearbyen in the morning, and fly to Oslo, where we connect with an onward return flight to the UK.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Rebecca Nason and local Guides The ship carries max. 116 passengers.

PRICES: QUADRUPLE SHARE WITH PORTHOLE £4,895 TRIPLE SHARE WITH PORTHOLE £5,495 TWIN/DOUBLE WITH PORTHOLE £6,195 (SINGLE SUPP. £ 3,445) TWIN/DOUBLE WITH WINDOW £6,495 (SINGLE SUPP. £ 3,695) TWIN/DOUBLE DELUXE £6,795 SUPERIOR £7,595 DEPOSIT: £1,500 PER PERSON The prices are per person, and are fully inclusive of return flights London/Longyearbyen*, overnight accommodation in Oslo/Longyearbyen, the cruise, meals on board, shore excursions by Zodiac and activities throughout the voyage, leadership, taxes and port charges.

The prices exclude travel insurance, optional tips to leaders and crew, drinks, meals in Oslo and Longyearbyen, and other personal expenses. *For a cost starting and finishing the tour in Oslo, please deduct £145 pp from the tour cost. *For a cost starting and finishing the tour in Longyearbyen, please deduct £395 pp from the tour cost.

Please see our Wild Ambitions website for more Spitsbergen cruises – there are shorter cruises available at less cost.

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ADELIE PENGUINS

SOUTH GEORGIA

Antarctica ‘The Ultimate Wilderness’ Multiple departure dates from December 2014-March 2015 and December 2015-March 2016. Please enquire for full details.

Voyage south, to what must surely be the ultimate destination for the lover of wildlife and wild places - the vast, mountainous, ice-bound continent of Antarctica. Cruise amidst the immense icebergs, the towering peaks, the awe-inspiring glaciers, the steaming volcanoes and the growling sea-ice of this last great wilderness right at the ‘End of the World’.

One of the last truly unspoilt environments on the planet, the mysterious and enigmatic White Continent is unparalleled in its majesty: a landscape where nature reigns supreme! Breathtaking scenery of towering snowcapped mountains, dormant volcanoes, fiords, glaciers and icebergs, enchants us as we follow in the footsteps of the early intrepid polar explorers.

All of this can be experienced from the comfort of one of our purpose built vessels, Plancius, Akademik Ioffe, or Ortelius. With expert guides on board to lead you during the landings via zodiacs and guide you through this wondrous environment we will make sure that not a single opportunity is missed to make memories that will last a lifetime.

Accommodation Please see our website for details of the cruise ships, and deck plans showing the cabins.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intineraries.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

PRICES:

Specialist Antarctica guides attached to each ship The maximum number of passengers is given with the ship details

Falklands, South Georgia & the Antarctic Peninsula Wildlife riches of the Sub-Antarctic 20 November – 8 December 2014 (18 days) ~ Photographic tour Aboard Akademik Ioffe ~ Ushuaia – Ushuaia 31 January – 18 February 2015 (18 days) Aboard Akademik Ioffe ~ Ushuaia – Ushuaia You may feel, as we do, that if you make the journey to the bottom of the world you may as well stay awhile. On this far-reaching expedition to the islands of the South Atlantic Ocean and the Antarctic mainland, you will revel in 18 eye-popping days of exploration. Busybody penguins in rookeries by the thousands, behemoth icebergs reflecting startling greens and blues, humpback whales feeding on krill and of course the continent-sized sweeping ice sheet of Antarctica.

This is our most extensive Antarctic expedition and a true adventure of a lifetime! We depart from Ushuaia, and travel through the Falklands Islands, South Georgia, South Orkneys, South Shetland, the Antarctic Mainland, and the magnificent Drake Passage before finally returning back to Ushuaia for disembarkation. Note: As with all our expeditions, safety is our top priority. For that reason weather, ice or other conditions may require us to change our itinerary and shore excursions as we go but that is half the fun of Polar exploring.

For other South Georgia cruises, and the full itinerary for the cruise described above, please refer to our website for further information.

Other Departure dates and itineraries are available.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intineraries.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

FROM £4,895 per person for 10 nights based on a triple share

Specialist Antarctica guides attached to each ship The maximum number of passengers is given with the ship details

PRICES:

SINGLE SUPP: PLEASE ENQUIRE FOR DETAILS DEPOSIT: FROM 10% COST PRICE PER PERSON The prices are per person, and are fully inclusive of the cruise, meals during the voyage, shore excursions by Zodiac and activities throughout the voyage, leadership, taxes and port charges.

The prices exclude flights to and from the departure port (although there may be a special charter flight included on some), travel insurance, optional tips to leaders and crew, drinks, and other personal expenses.

2014 FROM £8,595 per person for 17 nights based on a triple share 2015 FROM £9,995 per person for 17 nights based on a triple share SINGLE SUPP: PLEASE ENQUIRE FOR DETAILS DEPOSIT: FROM 10% COST PRICE PER PERSON The prices are per person, and are fully inclusive of the cruise, meals during the voyage, shore excursions by Zodiac and activities throughout the voyage, leadership, taxes and port charges.

The prices exclude flights to and from the departure port, travel insurance, optional tips to leaders and crew, drinks, and other personal expenses

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BELARUS BISON ©ECOTOURS WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Belarus Fabled Marshes & Primaeval Forests Sun 3 – Sun 10 May 2015 (8 days) Imagine a land of ancient forests, hundreds of meandering rivers, the biggest marshes and fens of the continent, and roads where you hardly meet any traffic or even people – this is the wild country of Belarus!

Belarus is set to become one of the prime birdwatching destinations in Europe. This eastern neighbour of Poland boasts a superb variety of birds including Terek Sandpiper and Azure Tit, and mammals including Bison, Lynx and Wolf!

OUTLINE ITINERARY GREY-HEADED WOODPECKER ©REBECCA NASON

Eastern Austria Lake Neusiedl in Spring and Autumn Mon 18 – Mon 25 May 2015 (8 days) Sat 29 August – Sat 5 September 2015 (8 days) We return to the lakes, forests and mountains of wonderful Eastern Austria in spring, at a time when the breeding season is in full swing, and the mountains are in flower, and again in early autumn, with the excitement of passage migrants.

Neusiedl has long been a firm favourite of ours – and with good reason! One of Europe’s largest lakes, it’s also one of the very best for birds.

To the east lie the splendid wetlands of the Seewinkel and the start of the Great Hungarian Plain; to the north, the riverine forests of the March; and to the west, the pine-clad foothills of the Austrian Alps - which we shall access via a scenic rack-and-pinion railway journey aboard the Fire Salamander. The whole presents a tapestry of habitats surpassed only by the impressive range of birds to be found there.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-7

Morning flight from London to Vienna.

An hour’s drive will bring us to our hotel in the small town of Illmitz, our base

throughout the holiday.

Seven nights Illmitz.

Day 8 After a final morning birdwatching around Lake Neusiedl, we return to Vienna and catch our afternoon flight back to London.

Ground Transport: By minibus.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Stephen Daly Max. 12 clients

PRICE: £1,595 SINGLE SUPP: £125 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights* London-Vienna, all accommodation, meals, minibus transport, Schneeberg Mountain railway excursion, admissions, permits and entry fees to reserves, airport taxes, tips, map, bird & butterfly checklist, and services of the leaders.

Days 1-3 We fly from London to Minsk. Three nights Turov.

Days 4 -5 Belovezhskaya Pushcha ancient forest.

Two nights Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

Days 6-7 We continue to Sporava Reserve. Two nights Bielaaziorsk.

Day 8 We drive back to Minsk, birding en route, from where we fly home.

Accommodation Belarus is off the beaten tourist trail and standards of hotel are below those in Western Europe. However, those we use are of reasonable quality, chosen for their proximity to the best birding sites.

NUMBERS:

Barrie Cooper & Balazs Szigeti Max. 14 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,945 £195 £300 PER PERSON

LEADERS:

The price per person includes return flights from London – Minsk*, airport taxes, 8 nights’ accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes Belarus visa costs (approx £75), holiday insurance, optional tips for the driver and local guide, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Vienna/Vienna) please deduct £135 per person from the tour cost.

*For an ex-flight cost (Minsk/Minsk) please deduct £245 per person from the tour cost.

2014 trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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MARSH HARRIER ©MIKE READ

Bulgaria in Spring

Bulgaria in Autumn

Rhodope Mountains & Black Sea

The ‘Secret Flyway’

Fri 15 – Sun 24 May 2015 (10 days)

Sat 19 - Sat 26 September 2015 (8 days)

A 10-day birdwatching tour to one of Europe’s loveliest yet least visited countries, exploring the Rhodope Mountains, Black Sea coast and Danube Valley. Outstanding for birds with Dalmatian Pelican, Pied and Isabelline Wheatears, Paddyfield Warbler, Masked Shrike and Semi-collared Flycatcher among many exciting eastern European specialities.

An 8-day birdwatching tour to Bulgaria and the Black Sea coast in autumn, timed to coincide with the annual movement of birds of prey, pelicans and storks as they bypass the Balkan Mountains and stream south towards the Bosphorus.

Although now a fully-fledged member of the EU, Bulgaria remains one of the least visited corners of Europe. The birdlife here is outstanding and this beautiful country is rightly recognised as one of the continent’s most exciting birding venues. Flanked by the Black Sea to the east and the broad sweep of the mighty River Danube in the north, not only do huge numbers of migrants funnel up through Bulgaria each spring but the abundant birdlife has a definite ‘eastern’ flavour.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 Days 2-3 Days 4-5 Days 6-7 Days 8-9 Day 10

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

It’s one of Europe’s busiest - yet least known - migration corridors, at its best in late September when the variety of species heading south along this ‘secret flyway’ is exceptional. With six nights on the coast and one along the Danube valley, this classic migration tour is also excellent for waders, plus Red-breasted Flycatcher, Red-backed Shrike and countless other passerines that shelter on Bulgaria’s coastal headlands. Join us this year for some terrific autumn birding - without the crowds!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

Fly London-Sofia and transfer south to our first hotel.

Overnight Satovcha.

Trigrad Gorge and Rhodope Mountains. Two nights Krumovgrad.

East to the Black Sea coast. Two nights Pomorie.

Black Sea coast, north to Lake Durankulak. Two nights Kavarna.

Cape Kaliakra, Danube valley and Lake Srebarna. Two nights Vetren.

Nova Cherna, cross the Danube into Romania.

Fly Bucharest-London.

Gary Elton & local guide Max. 12 clients

Days 2-3 Day 4 Days 5-6 Day 7 Day 8

Fly London-Sofia. Transfer east to our first hotel.

Three nights Pomorie.

Lake Atanasovsko, Black Sea coast and marshes.

Pomorie saltpans, Goritza forest. North to Kavarna for three nights.

Lake Durankulak, Cape Kaliakra and the north coast.

Inland to Lake Srebarna and the Danube valley.

Overnight Pelican Lodge, Vetren.

Nova Cherna marshland. Transfer north to Bucharest, fly London.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Richard Thaxton & local guide Max. 12 clients

PRICE: £1,675 SINGLE SUPP: £130 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,545 SINGLE SUPP: £105 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person and is fully inclusive of scheduled flights London-Sofia and Bucharest-London return, all accommodation, meals, coach or minibus transport (according to final group size), entrance fees, tips to driver and local guide/s, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s.

The price is per person and is fully inclusive of British Airways direct scheduled flights London Heathrow-Sofia / Bucharest-London Heathrow, all accommodation, meals, transportation (minibus with small group), tips, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s.

Price excludes insurance, drinks & other items of a personal nature.

The price excludes insurance, drinks & other items of a personal nature.

*For an ex-international flight cost of the tour (Sofia/Bucharest) please deduct £225 per person from the tour cost.

*For an ex-international flight cost of the tour (Sofia/Bucharest) please deduct £220 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

These trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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BLACK PENNANT DRAGONFLY ©MARTIN HROUZEK

Czech Republic Dragonflies of North Bohemia

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-6

Fri 12 – Thur 18 June 2015 (8 days) North Bohemia is a picturesque and varied region of low hills, sandstone rocks and various small lakes, dotted with well-preserved traditional villages here Day 7 and there. Our hotel is located just 60 miles from Prague airport not far from the large Macha lake where a beautiful ruin of the Bezdez castle with extensive marshy areas below dominates the skyline in the east.

Dragonflies are represented mainly by species common over much of Europe.

However, several species showing chiefly northern distribution thrive there as well. Whitefaces shall be a real highlight of the tour and Yellow-spotted and Dark Whiteface are common at several places. Furthermore we will visit early enough to find newly discovered Lilypad and Small Whiteface and hopefully also Ruby Whiteface that flies very early each year. There is also a nice range of Bluets including Ornate, Crescent and Spearhead, whilst Northern and Yellow-spotted Emerald are just a few of the many other species that should please every odonatologist. Photo opportunities will be plentiful as the sites are often easily accessible.

Our guide Martin Waldhauser is a real dragonfly expert, and a renowned dragonfly photographer. He lives close to many sites visited on this tour, and designed the trip to cover the best areas and species during early summer. Martin is one of the authors of ‘The Dragonflies of the Czech Republic’, probably the biggest dragonfly book ever published, and is the perfect companion and dragonfly enthusiast to guide you on this magical trip through the north of Bohemia.

We take a scheduled flight London to Prague where upon arrival the group will be met by a local guide. Our hotel is set amidst the best sites visited on this tour. We will be driving longer distances on two days but will stay locally in the remaining three days. Six nights Rynoltice.

We have to say goodbye to our hotel return south to Prague airport, journeying through historical villages with wooden houses and across Elbe river again. Then it will be time to say farewell and return to the airport for our homeward flight.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Martin Waldhauser Max. 8 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,295 £125 £300 PER PERSON

The price per person includes return flights from London – Prague, airport taxes, 6 nights’ accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips for the driver and local guide, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost (Prague/Prague) please deduct £145 per person from the tour cost.

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COMMON CRANE ©MIKE READ

COMMON CRANES ©ARNE ADLER

Estonia

Estonia

Birds & Mammals in the Spring Baltic

Autumn Migration in the Baltic

Sun 17 – Sun 24 May 2015 (8 days)

Sun 20 – Sun 27 September 2015 (8 days)

On the shores of the Eastern Baltic is a country of wetlands and forests, where Although not widely discovered yet, Estonia is the ideal country for observing vast numbers of birds concentrate each spring before they fly on to their one of the most spectacular natural shows – massive bird migration. breeding grounds in arctic Finland and Russia. Join us in one of Europe’s Geographically the Estonian waters and coastline are migratory steppingnewest and most exciting birdwatching destinations - Estonia! stones, the most natural flyway between breeding and wintering areas Few places in Europe can match the excitement of watching Estonia’s amazing wildlife. In May, birds - especially wildfowl and waders - pass through this tiny country in their millions, pausing to feed and rest here before pushing on northwards to the tundra and forests of Lapland.

Mammals of note also include Mountain Hare, Red Squirrel, Flying Squirrel, Brown Bear and, with luck, European Beaver.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Please note that this is a provisional itinerary. The Cranes and other birds may be in different places each year. Our guides will ‘recce’ the area the week before, and may make some last minute changes to the itinerary. We go where the birds and mammals are!

Days 1-2 We take a scheduled flight from London to Tallinn, before travelling to the Noarootsi Peninsula. Two nights Noarootsi Peninsula.

Days 3-4 Two nights Herford Days 5-6 Two nights Rakvere (1 night Art Hotel/ 1 night Bear Hide) Day 7 Overnight Rakvere Day 8 We return to Tallinn. Depending on flight schedules there may be time for a guided tour of the beautiful old city before we head to the airport for our homeward flight to London.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Barrie Cooper & local guides Max. 12 clients

for millions of Arctic waterbirds, making birdwatching in Estonia fabulous at this time of year.

During the migration season, the crowds of southward-rushing birds, can be seen in incredible numbers: several hundreds of thousands of waterfowl or passerine migrants can be seen passing per day at the best sites at the peak season. As many as one million waterfowl and nearly three-quarters of passerines are observed per day!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Please note that this is a provisional itinerary. Our guides will ‘recce’ the area the week before, and may make some last minute changes to the itinerary.

We go where the birds are!

Days 1-3 We take a scheduled flight from London to Tallinn, and meet our Estonian guide at the airport, before travelling to Haapsalu (Estonia).

Three nights Haapsalu.

Days 4-5 Two nights Saaremaa Island.

Days 6-7 Two nights Pärnu.

Day 8 We return to Tallinn. Depending on flight times there may be time for a guided tour of the beautiful old city before we head to the airport for our homeward flight to London.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Barrie Cooper & local guides Max. 12 clients

PRICE: £1,795 SINGLE SUPP: £250 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,745 SINGLE SUPP: £265 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London-Tallinn (direct if schedules permit, or via Helsinki), airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, transport and the services of the leaders.

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London-Tallinn (direct if schedules permit, or via Helsinki), airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes travel insurance, optional tips to the local driver & guides, drinks, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes travel insurance, optional tips to the local driver & guides, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost (starting and finishing the tour in Tallinn) please deduct £200 per person from the tour cost

*For an ex-flight cost (starting and finishing the tour in Tallinn) please deduct £145 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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EURASIAN GRIFFON VULTURE ©MIKE READ

WALLCREEPER ©KEITH GRANT

CORSICAN CITRIL FINCH ©MIKE READ

Camargue & Pyrenees

Camargue in Winter

The best of France in Autumn

Wallcreepers & wetlands

Mountains in the Mediterranean

Sat 29 August - Sat 5 September 2015 (8 days)

Mon 23 – Sat 28 February 2015 (6 days)

Sun 19 - Sun 26 April 2015 (8 days)

Starting with the famous Camargue, with its pink flamingos, white horses and black fighting bulls, and finishing with the grandeur of the High Pyrenees, we visit some of France’s very best areas for birds and wildlife in autumn.

Join us in the Camargue in search of specialities as the perfect antidote to our grey, winter weather - a dose of excitement as the days start to draw out!

We return again to the breathtakingly scenic island of Corsica in the Mediterranean, where we will search out its unique wildlife among stunning granite mountains reaching nearly 3,000 metres.

The freshwater marshes of the Camargue and the surrounding meadows remain one of Europe’s most exciting birdwatching areas. The array of herons alone is outstanding and Raptors are always present in the skies here!

After three nights exploring the Camargue we travel across the south of France to the High Pyrenees. Lammergeier patrol the cliff-faces effortlessly, along with Griffon Vulture and Golden Eagle. The sight of flocks of raptors gaining height in the thermals amidst the foothills before attempting the cliff crossing is unforgettable!

Winter in the Camargue, one of Europe’s great river deltas, is a superb time to visit, with birds here in their tens of thousands. Masses of wildfowl, waders, birds of prey, and Greater Flamingos haunt the wetlands, while high alpine species are wintering in the drier country around, waiting for the warmer weather to arrive, including Wallcreeper!

Days 5-7 Day 8

Scheduled flight from London to Marseille. Transfer to the Camargue.

Four nights Camargue.

We drive to Luz St Sauveur in the French Pyrenees. Three nights Luz St Sauveur We drive back to Toulouse for the flight back to London.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Steve Duffield Max. 12 clients

Corsica is one of the most rugged and mountainous of Mediterranean islands, largely untouched by tourist development. From the clear dark blue seas of the coast, up through the lush green forests of the lower slopes, to the white snowcapped peaks of its highest mountains, the island offers a superb variety of both scenery and wildlife.

OUTLINE ITINERARY

OUTLINE ITINERARY

Days 1-5

Days 1-4 We begin our tour by taking a scheduled flight from London to Bastia. Four nights Corte.

Days 5-7 Three nights near Bastia.

Day 8 We take a return scheduled flight Bastia-London.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-4

Corsica

Day 6

We take a scheduled early morning flight from London to Marseille, giving us the chance of some afternoon birdwatching before continuing to the Saint Martin de Crau. Five nights Saint-Martin de Crau.

We catch a return flight from Marseille to London.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Mike Read Max. 12 clients

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Mike & Liz Read Max. 12 clients

PRICE: £1,745 SINGLE SUPP: £245 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,295 SINGLE SUPP: £130 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,845 SINGLE SUPP: £245 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of 7 nights’ accommodation as detailed above, meals, incidental tips, return scheduled flight LondonMarseille/Toulouse-London*, admissions, and leadership.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of accommodation as detailed above, meals, incidental tips, return scheduled flight* London-Marseille, minibus transport, admissions, and leadership.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of scheduled return flights London-Bastia*, airport taxes, full board accommodation, minibus transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leader.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks (please note that wine is included with meals in Luz) and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks (although, as mentioned above, wine is included with meals) and other personal expenses.

The price excludes travel insurance, drinks and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost (ex-Marseille/Toulouse) please deduct £135 per person from the tour cost.

*For an ex-flight cost (ex-Marseille) please deduct £145 per person from the tour cost.

*For an ex-flight cost (ex-Bastia) please deduct £165 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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The Dordogne –Wildlife Butterflies & Wildlife Sat 13 - Fri 19 June 2015 (7 days) The Dordogne in southwest France is a great place to go butterfly watching abroad. It makes for an enjoyable ‘stepping-stone’ between the UK fauna and more exotic ones further south.

Many easily seen species are familiar British species, whilst others are scarce or rare at home – and then there is an interesting selection of Continental species. Like other wildlife, south of the English Channel, numbers of species increase, encouraged by the warmer weather – which we also expect to benefit from!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

Days 2-6 Day 7

We fly from London Gatwick to Bergerac where we meet David Simpson. From here it is about a half-hour drive down to our riverside hotel in Mauzac.

Overnight Mauzac.

Five nights Mauzac.

We should have time for a morning in the Dordogne and a farewell lunch before returning to Bergerac for our flight home in the evening.

COMMON CLUBTAIL ©BOB CARPENTER

The Dordogne Dragonflies & Wildlife Sat 4 - Fri 10 July 2015 (7 days) This will be our fifth consecutive dragonfly holiday to the Dordogne, concentrating on the superb range of species to be found in the area, led and designed by dragonfly expert Dick Askew, a keen entomologist and author of ‘Dragonflies of Europe’.

Dordogne is an excellent place for a dragonflywatching holiday. There are around 60 species across a diverse range of wetland habitats: ponds, canals, lakes, fens and of course the great River Dordogne itself, together with smaller tributaries, streams and springs. We are based at the cosy riverside Hotel Le Barrage at Mauzac, just upstream from Lalinde, an excellent venue with comfortable rooms, good food, excellent hosts and dragonflies on tap!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

Days 2-6 Day 7

We fly from London Gatwick to Bergerac where we meet David Simpson. From here it is about a half-hour drive down to our riverside hotel in Mauzac.

Overnight Mauzac.

Five nights Mauzac.

We should have time for a morning in the Dordogne and a farewell lunch before returning to Bergerac for our flight home in the evening.

EUROPEAN TURTLE DOVE ©MIKE READ

The Dordogne –Wildlife Birds, Butterflies, Orchids & Prehistory Sat 9 - Fri 15 May 2015 (7 days) We will be keeping an eye out for woodland birds such as Honey Buzzard, Bonelli’s Warbler, Crested Tit, Woodlark and Golden Oriole. In the fields and scrub we should see Crested Lark, Melodious Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Corn Bunting, Stone Curlew and Hen Harrier.

The flowers are outstanding , orchids are everywhere and many butterflies scarce or on the edge of their range in the UK can be seen easily here, including European Swallowtail, Duke of Burgundy and Glanville Fritillary.

Honey-coloured villages with Romanesque churches dot the picturesque landscape, amidst castles and chateaux dating from the Hundred Years War and the local Périgord cuisine is renowned, together with the wines of Bergerac and Cahors.

This holiday will be a gentle affair and has been designed as an introduction to the wildlife riches of the region. There will be ample opportunities for photography which we can review each evening at the hotel.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Identical to the Dordogne tours opposite.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

David Simpson Max. 7 clients

PRICE: £1,295 SINGLE SUPP: £125 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London Gatwick-Bergerac, accommodation, meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, admissions, and leadership.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (ex Bergerac) please deduct £100 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Dick Askew & David Simpson Max. 7 clients

PRICE: £1,295 SINGLE SUPP: £125 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London Gatwick-Bergerac, accommodation, meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, admissions, and leadership.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (ex Bergerac) please deduct £100 per person from the tour cost.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

David Simpson Max. 7 clients

PRICE: £1,295 SINGLE SUPP: £125 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London Gatwick-Bergerac, accommodation, meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, admissions, and leadership.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (ex Bergerac) please deduct £100 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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The Dordogne – Birds Wallcreepers, Woodpeckers, & Kites Tues 10 - Sat 14 March 2015 (5 days) Wintering mountain birds are a regular but littleknown feature of the Dordogne. If you know the sites, Wallcreepers are relatively easy to find on the cliffs along the main rivers.

We have seen up to three birds in one day! Alpine Accentors often accompany them amongst the rocky ledges. All the while Peregrines and Ravens call and fly out from the crags as they set up territories and settle down to nesting. Crag Martins, which only leave Dordogne for a month or so in the winter, cruise past the cliffs in the sunshine. We will keep an eye out for other regular wintering specialities Water Pipit and perhaps even Rock Bunting.

CLIFDEN NONPAREIL © MIKE COVERDALE

The Dordogne – Moths & Wildlife Wallcreepers, Woodpeckers, & Kites Sat 5 – Fri 11 September 2015 (7 days)

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-4

Fly London Gatwick to Bergerac.

Transfer to Mauzac. Four nights Mauzac.

Final morning’s bird watching and farewell lunch before returning to Bergerac for our flight home.

Day 5

LEADER: NUMBERS:

David Simpson Max. 7 clients

PRICE: £995 SINGLE SUPP: £85 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London Stansted-Bergerac, (please enquire for regional UK airports) accommodation, meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, admissions, and leadership.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (ex Bergerac) please deduct £100 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

The warm, humid nights of early autumn are always an exciting time for moths, with light traps often at their most effective. David Simpson, ‘our man in the Dordogne’, invites moth enthusiasts to visit and see what the light traps bring in. Moth expert Mike Coverdale, will be co-leading this tour.

David Simpson’s home, La Cabane du Pommier, lies in the forested hills near the small town of Lalinde, north of the Dordogne River, approximately 14 miles east of Bergerac. Its situation presents excellent opportunities for the recording of moths and butterflies, due to the wide range of habitats present nearby. The property itself is situated at the edge of woodland, with an open meadow looking out across a quiet valley. Other habitats close by range from dry limestone grassland to marshy areas. We will be using La Cabane du Pommier as our main ‘Field Station’ and stay in our regular hotel base in Mauzac, on the riverbank, nearby.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-6

We fly from London Gatwick to Bergerac where we meet David Simpson. From here it is about a half-hour drive down

Day 7

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

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Mike Coverdale & David Simpson Max. 7 clients

PRICE: £1,295 SINGLE SUPP: £125 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London Gatwick-Bergerac, (please enquire for regional UK airports) accommodation, meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, admissions, and leadership.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (ex Bergerac) please deduct £100 per person from the tour cost.

T H E T RAV E L L I N G N AT U RA L I S T

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to our riverside hotel in Mauzac.

Six nights Mauzac.

We should have time for a last morning’s look at the moths in the Dordogne and a farewell lunch before returning to Bergerac for our flight home in the evening.

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ISARD (PYRENEAN CHAMOIS) AT THE CIRQUE DE TROUMOUSE ©MIKE READ

MEADOW FRITILLARY PYRENEES ©MIKE READ

French Pyrenees

French Pyrenees

Spectacular Mountain Wildlife

Flower Photography

Wed 17 - Wed 24 June 2015 (8 days)

Sat 11 - Sat 18 July 2015 (8 days)

An 8-day birdwatching and wildlife holiday focusing on the beautiful French Pyrenees in summer. Lammergeier, Alpine Chough and Snowfinch among specialities to watch for, and with 50 or more species of butterfly also possible. At this time of year, the Pyrenean plants can be wonderful, too.

The central French Pyrenees are home to a wonderful range of wildlife ranging from Eagles and Vultures right through to many endemic flowers such as Pyrenean Saxifrage and Spanish Iris.

For this delightful summer break we are based at a comfortable hotel in the small Pyrenean town of Luz St. Sauveur. Just a few miles to the north, the towering rock walls of the spectacular Cirque de Gavarnie - itself classified as an Exceptional Heritage Site and a protected natural monument - are home to one of Europe’s rarest and most sought-after birds, the Lammergeier.

In fact, this is a terrific tour for anyone with a penchant for birds of prey, for many of Europe’s most impressive raptors also breed in these mountains.

Eurasian Griffon, Golden Eagle, Honey Buzzard and Red Kite are among species we should come across during the week.

On this, our first specific photographers’ tour to the region, flowers, insects and the magnificent scenery will be the main aims as subjects for our cameras. However, large raptors occasionally pass low overhead and we occasionally pass close to Alpine Marmots in the vehicle, so having a longer lens handy may prove useful.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-7

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

Days 2-7 Day 8

PRINCIPAL LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Our summer birdwatching tour to France begins with a British Airways morning flight from London to Toulouse, in southwest France. Overnight at Luz St Sauveur.

Six nights at Luz St. Sauveur.

Reluctantly, we must bid farewell to the Pyrenees after breakfast today. Returning to Toulouse, we catch a late afternoon flight back to London, where our tour concludes.

Day 8

We take a morning flight from London to Toulouse. We drive to the scenically beautiful town of Luz-St-Sauveur. Depending on the timing of our arrival, we may detour up on to Hautacam (a climb made famous by the Tour de France) to see what flowers are blooming and to get a ‘birds eye view’ of the mountains we will soon be exploring. 7 nights Luz St Sauveur.

Reluctantly, we must bid farewell to the Pyrenees after breakfast today. Returning to Toulouse, we catch our flight back to London, where our tour concludes.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

David Fairhurst Max. 12 clients

Mike Read Max. 6 clients

PRICE: £1,695 SINGLE SUPP: £160 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,695 SINGLE SUPP: £165 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights London-Toulouse, all accommodation, meals, minibus transport, tips, airport taxes, map, bird and butterfly checklist, and services of the leader/s.

The price excludes insurance, drinks & other items of a personal nature. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Toulouse/Toulouse) please deduct £150 per person from the tour cost.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights London-Toulouse, all accommodation, meals, minibus transport, tips, airport taxes, map, bird and butterfly checklist, and services of the leader/s.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Toulouse/Toulouse) please deduct £150 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

T H E T RAV E L L I N G N AT U RA L I S T

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Vercors

Vercors

A magnificent corner of France in spring

Flower Photography Tour

Sun 31 May – Sun 7 June 2015 (8 days)

Sat 23 – Sat 30 May 2015 (8 days)

We return to this superb mountain area on the edge of the French Alps, the Vercors when birds and flowers are at their best!

Following another highly successful photographic tour in 2014, we return to this area with our cameras to capture the superb flora including up to 30 species of wild orchids amidst stunning scenery.

The high tops have a good range of mountain birds, including Alpine Chough, Golden Eagle and Citril Finch. Below the plateau, the Vercors’ forests show a decidedly Central and Eastern European influence, with the odd breeding Nutcracker and Tengmalm’s Owl amongst the beeches and firs. Other owls include the very local Pygmy Owl, Eagle Owl on some of the cliffs, and Scops Owl occasionally close to our hotel in La Chapelle.

The mammals here are also fascinating, with Alpine Chamois and Mouflon quite widespread, while Alpine Ibex may be seen on some of the highest ridges. We also visit a colony of Alpine Marmot close to where Alpine Choughs nest in a cave, whilst the Vercors flora is truly superb!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-3

We fly from London to Lyon, and transfer to Chichilianne.

Three nights Chichilianne We take a leisurely day-long journey to La Chapelle-en-Vercors.

Four nights La Chapelle-en-Vercors We leave the Vercors National Park today. Depending on homeward flight times, we may make a visit to some lakes not far from Grenoble, before completing the journey back to Lyon airport for our flight back to London.

Day 4-7 Day 8

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Mike & Liz Read Max. 12 clients

Scenic and accessible, this jumble of limestone mountains provides a rich range of flowers, butterflies, mammals and birds, all adding their own magic to a stunningly beautiful part of France. And then, of course, you add in excellent wine and food (but not necessarily in that order), and you know this is a typically good Travelling Naturalist destination for wildlife flower and landscape photography.

The flora is superb with alpine meadows full of white, yellow, blue and pink blossoms. Greater Yellow Rattle is absolutely widespread and at times the meadows are coloured by this semi-parasitic plant which is becoming increasingly rare in the UK. Various species of cranesbill, saxifrage and narcissus are perhaps the first plants to be noticed when strolling through these meadows, but then the vivid deep blues of Trumpet or Spring Gentian or the pinks of Red Clover, Wild Thyme or Mountain Thrift catch the eye.

Wild orchids are also abundant throughout the Vercors with masses of them growing on many of the roadside verges. We also regularly see Spitzel’s Orchid which some books describe as one of Europe’s rarest.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Mike Read Max. 6 clients

PRICE: £1,745 SINGLE SUPP: £195 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,795 SINGLE SUPP: £195 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of 7 nights’ accommodation as detailed above, meals in France, return scheduled flight London-Lyon*, minibus transport, admissions, and leadership.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of 7 nights’ accommodation as detailed above, meals in France, return scheduled flight London-Lyon*, minibus transport, admissions, and leadership.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost (ex-Lyon) please deduct £145 per person from the tour cost.

Clients may opt to travel by train to Lyon (St Exupery) airport.

*For an ex-flight cost (ex-Lyon) please deduct £145 per person from the tour cost.

Clients may opt to travel by train to Lyon (St Exupery) airport.

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Germany

Germany - Brandenburg

Bavarian Alps

The Crane & Goose Concerto!

Sat 6 – Sat 13 June 2015 (8 days)

Mon 9 - Fri 13 March 2015 (5 days) Sun 18 - Thur 22 October 2015 (5 days)

An easy-paced, 8-day birdwatching tour to the picturesque Bavarian Alps, with Alpine Chough, Water Pipit, Bluethroat and Scarlet Rosefinch among breeding birds. Includes excursion by rail and cable car up the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest peak.

Stretching for more than 180kms along the border between Austria and Germany, the Bavarian Alps comprise some of the most glorious and beautiful countryside to be found anywhere in Western Europe. A ‘picture book’ landscape studded with marshland, rivers and lakes, and with the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Alps as a magnificent backcloth throughout, Bavaria is the perfect setting for a summer birdwatching break.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Please note: as with all upland areas, outlined excursions into the mountains are weather permitting.

Day 1 Our summer birdwatching tour to Germany begins with a flight from London to Munich, where Stephen will be waiting to welcome us. We transfer directly to our hotel for the week. Overnight at Kochel-am-See. Days 2-7 Six nights Kochel-am-See. Day 8 After one last Bavarian breakfast, we drive back to Munich airport and our afternoon flight back to London.

A new tour to an ornithologically ‘undiscovered’ area of old East Germany.

These short spring and autumn visits have been designed to coincide with the time when Bean and White-fronted Geese, and Crane numbers are at their maximum, when there is a good chance of seeing Great Bustards, when White-tailed Eagles, Rough-legged Buzzards and other raptors are most easily seen, and when the woodlands allow the best chance of finding five Woodpecker species.

The trip has been designed for us by Roger White, author of the excellent, recently published ‘A Birdwatching Guide to Brandenburg and Berlin’ and is led by Stephen Daly, whose fluent German will be essential for us in this area little-visited by foreign tourists.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-4

Day 5

We take a morning flight to Berlin where we meet Stephen Daly.

We then drive west, via Brandenburg and Rathenow, to Semlin.

Four nights Semlin.

We leave Semlin after breakfast. Birding en route to the airport – if time allows – before catching our afternoon return flight to London.

PRINCPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Stephen Daly Max. 12 clients

PRINCPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Stephen Daly Max. 12 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,795 £125 £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,195 £95 £300 PER PERSON

The price includes return scheduled flights London-Munich, full board accommodation, minibus transport, rail and cable car excursions (as specified above), permits, fees and admissions, airport taxes, tips, map, bird checklist and services of the leaders.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of scheduled return flights London-Berlin*, airport taxes, full board accommodation, minibus transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leader (s).

The price excludes travel insurance, drinks and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (starting and finishing Munich) please deduct £125 per person from the tour cost.

*For an ex-flight cost (ex-Berlin) please deduct £135 per person from the tour cost.

These trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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ANEMONES ON THE OMALOS PLATEAU

Lesvos

Cyprus

Crete

Spring Migrants in the Aegean

Birds & Flowers on Aphrodite’s Isle

Flowers & Wildlife on a Spectacular Greek Island

Sat 2 – Sat 9 May 2015 (8 days)

Thurs 26 March – Thurs 2 April 2015 (8 days)

Tues 7 – Tues 14 April 2015 (8 days)

Just a few miles off the Turkish coast, the attractive Greek isle of Lesvos is now firmly on the map as one of the top hot-spots, not just in Greece, but in the whole of Europe, for watching birds on spring migration.

A spring visit to Cyprus can encounter some of the best bird migration anywhere in the Mediterranean.

We spend a week on the largest and, some would say, the most beautiful of the Greek islands for a fusion of flowers, birds and wildlife, at one of the best times of year for them.

The island’s location, a few miles off the continental landmass of Asia Minor makes it a perfect place for migrant birds. As locals will tell you, on a clear day in the north of the island, you can hear the cockerels crowing in Turkey! Birds on migration are pouring northwards towards Eastern Europe and Russia, or southwards towards Africa and India, and find a stopover in Lesvos very much to their liking.

The wetlands always hold much of interest, and we expect to see Squacco and Purple Herons, Little Bittern, White Stork, Garganey, Black-winged Stilt and splendid flocks of Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns - and that’s just from our hotel balconies!

Add to this wonderful scenery, lovely flowers in spring, and resident birds including Krüper’s Nuthatch and Cinereous Bunting in their only European breeding location, and you can see why the island is proving so popular!

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Rebecca Nason & Phil Harris Max. 14 clients

PRICE: £1,745 SINGLE SUPP: £245 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

Lying right across the migration route of birds flying north from sub-Saharan Africa, through Egypt, and over the Eastern Mediterranean, the island of Cyprus is one of the most exciting places we know to watch spring migration. We’ll be based close to one of the best areas on the island: Paphos, and the west coast. Visible migration can be dramatic, with flocks of herons of six species going by over the sea, Hoopoes and flocks of larks and wagtails flying in, and parties of Common, Pallid and Alpine Swift and Red-rumped Swallow low overhead.

Add the presence of a number of distinctive island races and two unique species - Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Wheatear – with around thirty possible species of orchids and several endemic flowers, and the appeal of a spring week on beautiful ‘Aphrodite’s Isle’ is irresistible!

This will be the twentieth year running that we have been to Cyprus in spring – and we are still seeing new birds most years!

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Gary Elton Max. 14 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,795 £195 £300 PER PERSON

The price per person includes return flight London Mytilene including on-board meals as appropriate, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

The price is per person and includes return scheduled flights* from London – Larnaca/Paphos including onboard meals as appropriate, airport taxes, 7 nights’ accommodation, meals, transport, incidental tips and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Mytilene/ Mytilene) please deduct £245 per person from the tour cost.

It may be possible to arrange flights from UK regional airports direct to Paphos or Larnaca. Please enquire for details.

Crete is the largest, and to many the most spectacular of the Greek Isles. It is a rugged land, with a chain of mountains rising to nearly 2,500m, which at this time of year form a spectacular snowcapped backdrop almost wherever we go. Many of the mountains are formed of limestone and dolomite, with high plateaux cut by deep gorges.

The geology and isolation from the mainland have given Crete a truly unique and diverse flora, with no less than a tenth of its plants (180+ species!) endemic to the island.

Although birds are never really numerous on Crete, the range of species here can be diverse and unpredictable, and close views of the migrants can be stunning. The west of Crete is probably the wildest and most spectacular part of the island, and we are strategically placed for trips to the best sites, especially some of the wetlands.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

NUMBERS:

Tim Earl & Liz Read Max. 14 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,745 £245 £300 PER PERSON

PRINCIPAL LEADER:

The price per person includes return flights from London – Heraklion/Chania (Crete airport dependant upon flight schedules)*, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, an optional tip to the driver, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Heraklion/ Heraklion) please deduct £245 per person from the tour cost.

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Paphos/Paphos) please deduct £195 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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BONELLI'S EAGLE (AQUILA FASCIATA) ©STEPHEN DALY

Kos Isle of Hippocrates

To the south lies the fascinating volcanic island of Nisyros, with its sizeable population of Eleonora’s Falcons, and we plan to take a boat trip across one day.

Sulphurous pools on the island still steam with volcanic activity.

Sat 18 –Sat 25 April 2015 (8 days) We return to the small but beautiful Greek isle of Kos, rich in flowers, and with an excellent array of both migrant and resident birds amongst stunning scenery and a backdrop of mountains and turquoise Aegean sea.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-7

We take a direct morning flight from London - Kos, arriving in the afternoon. Seven nights Tingaki.

We catch an early afternoon flight back to the UK.

Previous trips led by Mike Langman have convincingly proved that a week Day 8 here in spring is a real winner. From our hotel near to the Psalidi wetland reserve marsh any birdwatching destination is no more than an hours drive away giving us plenty of time exploring in the field and taverna’s every day!

LEADER: Mike Langman Just a few miles off the south-west corner of Turkey, the long, thin island NUMBERS: Max. 12 clients of Kos straddles the path of migrant birds from both east and south. As the birdwatching fraternity has learned, from the northern Aegean isle of Lesvos, PRICE: £1,745 the numbers and variety of migrants travelling this route can be as SINGLE SUPP: £245 impressive as anything to be found in the whole of Europe.

DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON Kos is also an attractive island in its own right, and has several special features - a resident and highly visible population of Bonelli’s Eagle for one The price per person includes return flight London - Kos including on-board meals thing makes this one of the best places we know to see this often elusive as appropriate, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, minibus transport and the services of the leaders. mountain raptor. Historically, its position on the fringes of Ancient Greece, and close to Asia Minor has given it great importance strategically, and it The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. has a fine and well-preserved historical record, going back to its most famous *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Kos/Kos) please deduct £245 per person from resident, Hippocrates, and the remains of the world’s first medical school, the tour cost. dating from 460 BC. T H E T RAV E L L I N G N AT U RA L I S T

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SMEW ©REBECCA NASON

URAL OWL ©DANIEL GREEN

GREAT BUSTARD ©MIKE READ

Holland

Hungary

Hungary

Wild Goose Chase!

Spring in the Steppes & Forests

Steppes & Forests in Autumn

Thur 4 - Mon 8 December 2014 (5 days) Thur 26 - Mon 30 November 2015 (5 days) A superb short winter break packed with exceptional birdwatching and led by Dutch birdwatching expert, Arnoud van den Berg.

Join us for great flocks of geese, raptors, Black Woodpeckers, Long-eared Owls and more in one of Europe’s most birdwatcher-friendly countries.

With its immense flocks of geese and other waterfowl, impressive range of wintering raptors and every chance of the unexpected, Holland boasts some of the finest winter birding in Europe.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

Fly London-Amsterdam. Birdwatching en route to our hotel. Four nights Harderwijk.

Flevoland, Friesland, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland.

The North Sea coast. Late afternoon/ early evening flight Amsterdam-London.

Days 2-4 Day 5

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Fri 22 May – Fri 29 May 2015 (8 days) We visit the fabulous steppes, lakes, and marshes of the Hortobágy and the Hungarian forests at the peak of the breeding season.

Join us and ‘steppe’ into spring for some of the best birdwatching in Europe!

One of Europe’s largest national parks, the Hortobágy offers some of Europe’s most exciting birdwatching. During our visit we shall also go up into the forests of the Zemplen Hills, for a range of raptors and other forest specialities. These green, rolling, forest-swathed hills, with the famous Tokaj vineyards clothing their southern slopes, are home to a superb range of central European forest specialities, including Eastern Imperial Eagle, Ural Owl, and an astonishing nine species of woodpecker!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-3

Arnoud Van den Berg Max. 7 clients Days 4-7

PRICE:

2014 £1,145 2015 £1,195 SINGLE SUPP: 2014 £160 2015 £165 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

Day 8

Price is per person and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights London-Amsterdam, all accommodation and meals (including lunches), minibus transport, entry fees, tips, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s.

Price excludes insurance, drinks & other items of a personal nature. *For an ex-international flight cost of the tour (Amsterdam) please deduct £95 per person from the tour cost.

It is usually possible for us to arrange flights from various UK regional airports direct to Amsterdam for participants wishing to avoid London. Please enquire for details and supplement. For those that prefer not to fly, Amsterdam can also be reached by ferry or Eurostar. For further details check online at: http://www.seat61.com/Netherlands.htm These trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

We take a morning scheduled flight London - Budapest, where we meet our local guide and drive to the edge of the Zemplen Hills. Three nights Zemplen Hills.

Leaving the Tokaj-Zemplen Hills we drive towards the Great Hungarian plains. Four nights Hortobágy.

We drive back to Budapest before catching our return flight to London.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Janos Olah Max. 14 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,595 £165 £300 PER PERSON

The price per person includes return flights from London – Budapest*, airport taxes, 7 nights’ accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips for the driver and local guide, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Budapest/Budapest) please deduct £125 per person from the tour cost.

Sun 11 – Sun 18 October 2015 (8 days) If you thought Hungary was fabulous in Spring wait till you witness the awe-inspiring and world famous Autumn Migration The sweeping landscapes of the steppe country extend across a huge swathe of temperate Eurasia, eastwards to Mongolia and beyond.

This is the main eastern flyway for Cranes in Europe. At their peak, there may be no less than 60,000 of these magnificent birds in the area. The sight of squadron upon squadron of them filling the sky with their wings, and the air with their calls as they go to roost, must surely be one of Europe’s great wildlife spectacles.

During our stay we shall also go up into the forests of the Zemplen Hills, for a range of raptors and other forest specialities including owls and woodpeckers, which can be relatively easy to see at this time of year.

Join us for some of the best autumn birdwatching in Europe!

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

PRICE: £1,595 SINGLE SUPP: £165 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price per person includes return flights from London - Budapest, airport taxes, 7 nights’ accommodation, all meals, transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips for the driver and local leader, drinks, and other personal expenses.

Please note that we can arrange optional extensions to the trip in Budapest, for a chance to spend a bit of time in this delightful city. Please let us know at time of booking. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Budapest/Budapest) please deduct £125 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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Barrie Cooper & Local Guides Max. 14 clients

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Hungary Spring Photography in the Steppes & Forests Sun 10 May – Sat 16 May 2015 (7 days) This year we have decided to combine the impeccable photographic skills of our tour leader Mike Read, with the knowledge of our good friends at Ecotours Wildlife Holidays to create a brand new spring photographic tour to Hungary at the peak of the breeding season for some of the best birdwatching in Europe!

Our hides are located in a scenic and bird-rich area of the famous Kiskunsag National Park. Set by cleverly designed drinking stations at the forest edge, others by marshes or beside the shallow water of alkaline lakes, our bird hides offer truly immersive unparalleled views providing tremendous possibilities for close-up bird photography, where each day may bring something entirely new and unexpected!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-6

Day 7

We take a morning scheduled flight London - Budapest, where we meet our local guide and drive to the village of Tiszaalpar, located just a few minutes from the hides, where we stay for six nights.

Six nights Bács-Kiskun.

We drive back to Budapest before catching our return flight to London.

Please note: that we can arrange optional extensions to the trip in Budapest, for a chance to spend a bit of time in this delightful city. Please let us know at time of booking.

Accommodation Good hotels with all rooms en suite.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Mike Read & Istvan Bartol Max. 14 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,795 £145 £300 PER PERSON

The price per person includes return flights from London – Budapest*, airport taxes, 7 nights’ accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips for the driver and local guide, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Budapest/Budapest) please deduct £145 per person from the tour cost.

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ORCA ©ANDY JONES

PUFFIN ©ANDY JONES

Iceland in Winter

Iceland

Orcas and Auroras Special

Principally Puffins

Thur 5 March – Tue 10 March 2015 (6 days)

Fri 17 - Fri 24 July 2015 (8 days)

A great winter break searching for birds and whales in south and west Iceland. You’ll travel in a small group in a specially prepared winterised 4x4 vehicle which allows us to reach some out-of-the-way places.

Grímsey Island Extension

Iceland’s wildlife has to struggle to survive the harsh winter conditions and often congregates around the coast or other sheltered areas. We expect to see several different species of wildfowl and there’ll be lots of gulls including Glaucous Gull and the eponymous Iceland Gull on the coasts and in harbours. Further inland we should encounter large flocks of Snow Buntings, Ptarmigans in their white winter plumage and there’s always the chance of a Gyr Falcon or even White-tailed Eagle. Of course, all this is complemented by the dramatic landscapes of Iceland, Orcas off the magnificent Snaefellnes peninsula and, if the weather allows, displays of the aurora borealis.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-3

We take a scheduled flight London-Reykjavik. Three nights near Hveragerði.

Two nights Snæfellsnes.

We travel via Borgarnes to Reykjavík before heading for the airport and our afternoon return flight.

Days 4-5 Day 6

Thur 23 - Mon 27 July 2015 (5 days) Mention you’ve been to Iceland to a birdwatcher and you’ll soon get the response: “Did you see puffins?” On this trip you certainly shall.

Devised especially for us, and led by our man in Iceland, Andy Jones, this trip is timed to give us the best possible views of Puffins as well as the other seabirds of the North Atlantic.

We are also travelling at a great time for botanists and we’ll no doubt delight in the colourful carpet of many arctic and alpine wild flowers that can be found here. At this time of year we’ve a very good chance of finding cetaceans offshore as well. In fact, there’s something for everyone on this very special trip.

Grímsey Island extension Grímsey, way off the north coast of Iceland, is one of those dream islands that many read about, but few visit, and is home to countless thousands of puffins and other seabirds. Accommodation here is very comfortable (shared facilities).

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Andy Jones Max. 5 clients

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Andy Jones Max. 10 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,845 £180 £400 PER PERSON

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£2,845 GRIMSEY EXT: £1,275 £265 GRIMSEY EXT: £120 £600 PER PERSON

The price per person includes return scheduled flights from London - Keflavik, airport taxes, accommodation as outlined, all meals, incidental tips, transport and the services of the leader(s).

The price per person includes return scheduled flights from London - Keflavik, airport taxes, accommodation as outlined, all meals, incidental tips, transport and the services of the leader(s).

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional boat trip (cost around £45), drinks, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional boat trip on the Westman Islands, drinks, and other personal expenses.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Keflavik) please deduct £230 per person from the tour cost.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Keflavik) please deduct £295 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Naturalist Journeys of the USA.

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GODAFOSS ©MIKE READ

Iceland

Iceland

The Land of Ice & Fire in Summer

Mon 21 – Sat 26 September 2015 (6 days)

Sunday 14 June – Tuesday 23 June 2015 (10 days) A 10-day summer birdwatching tour to Iceland in search of Gyr Falcon, Harlequin Duck and Barrow’s Goldeneye, and including three splendid boat trips - to look for whales off the north coast, and for Red-necked and Grey Phalaropes, plus Puffins and nesting seabirds in the wild west of the island.

This is but a hint of the magic that awaits on this scenic sub-Arctic spectacular - a trip that’s packed with great northern birding and set amidst some of the wildest and most dramatic landscapes in Europe.

Perched astride the mid-Atlantic ridge, Iceland is a new continent in the making. Spectacular volcanic landscapes spawn boiling sulphurous pools and geysers, while mighty waterfalls thunder down great gashes in the earth’s crust.

The additional presence of glaciers and ice-capped peaks creates a surreal setting of fire and ice in which to enjoy some of the most exhilarating birdwatching in Europe.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Trausti Gunnarsson & Gary Elton Max. 14 clients

PRICE: £2,995 SINGLE SUPP: £295 DEPOSIT: £400 PER PERSON The price per person includes return scheduled flights London-Keflavik, all accommodation, meals, minibus transport, three boat trips (for whales, seabirds, Grey Phalarope and White-tailed Eagle, as detailed in the itinerary), entry fees and admissions, tips, airport taxes, bird checklist, and services of the leader/s.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks,

A Volcanic Introduction With Iceland’s volcanoes featuring in the news in both 2011, 2012 and recently in 2014, we thought it was time to base a tour around Iceland’s amazing geology.

Iceland’s volcanic events have caused an ‘eruption’ in interest about geology and why landscapes look the way they do. We’ve persuaded Iceland expert Andy Jones to lead this autumn volcano introduction trip for us and participants will get a great introduction to the dynamic geology of this fascinating country.

Geysers, volcanoes, thermal springs, glaciers and Viking history are all included on this trip – with, as always, any wildlife we see on our travels! Oh, and there’s a chance of cetaceans offshore too!

Earth’s geological processes are usually hidden deep below its crust, but Iceland is one of the world’s few places where we can see them in action on the surface. In many ways this is a ’Journey to the Centre of the Earth’!

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Andy Jones Max. 8 clients

47

NORTHERN LIGHTS ©ANDY JONES

Iceland in Winter Harlequins & Northern Lights!

Thur 12 – Mon 16 March 2015 (5 days) Thur 26– Mon 30 March 2015 (5 days) Thur 19 – Mon 23 November 2015 (5 days) What’s it like here in winter? This question is often asked on our popular ‘Iceland in Summer’ trip. Well, now you can find out on this exciting winter break, designed to be taken as a long weekend.

Iceland’s wildlife has to struggle to survive the harsh winter conditions and often congregates around the coast or other sheltered areas. We expect to see several different species of wildfowl including Harlequin Ducks, perhaps surfing in the sea, and Barrow’s Goldeneye. There’ll be lots of gulls including Glaucous Gull and the eponymous Iceland Gull on the coasts and in harbours. All this is complemented by the dramatic landscapes of Iceland and, if the weather allows, displays of the aurora borealis. Please note: that auroras occur at random and can’t be predicted, however 2015 promises to be another great aurora year!

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Andy Jones Max. 5 clients

PRICE: £1,895 SINGLE SUPP: £180 DEPOSIT: £400 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,595 SINGLE SUPP: £150 DEPOSIT: £400 PER PERSON

The price per person includes return scheduled flights from London - Keflavik, airport taxes, accommodation as outlined, all meals, incidental tips, transport and the services of the leader(s).

The price per person includes return scheduled flights from London - Keflavik, airport taxes, accommodation as outlined, all meals, incidental tips, transport and the services of the leader(s).

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Keflavik) please deduct £230 from the tour cost.

*For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Keflavik) please deduct £230 from the tour cost.

*For an ex-international flight cost of the tour (Keflavik) please deduct £250 per person from the tour cost.

These trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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SARDINIAN WARBLER ©MIKE READ

THE AURORA ©HAARI TAAVETTI

Sicily

Lapland

Siracusa & Mt Etna

Northern Lights, Astronomy & Wildlife!

Tue 14 - Tue 21 April 2015 (8 days) Thur 23 – Thur 30 April 2015 (8 days)

Mon 23 March – Sun 29 March 2015 (7 days)

Join us for another wonderful April week in Eastern Sicily, a hotspot for migrants moving between Africa and Europe. Based throughout at a delightful masseria (farmhouse hotel), with first-rate hospitality and delicious home-cooked Italian cuisine - you simply won’t want to leave!

The largest of all the Mediterranean islands, first-time visitors may be surprised at just how big Sicily is! For this reason, our spring tours focus solely on the island’s bird-rich eastern side, where we will birdwatch amidst a landscape dominated - and very largely shaped - by the immense cone of Europe’s biggest volcano, Mt Etna. This year, we are offering a choice of two departures. Our 2012, 2013 and 2014 tours sold out very quickly early booking recommended.

Our tour to Sicily begins with a flight from London to Catania, passing by the slopes of mighty Mt. Etna as we come into land.

Overnight near Siracusa.

Six nights near Siracusa.

This morning, before leaving Siracusa, we will pay a visit to the ancient town of Ortigia, before the short drive north to Catania for our flight back to London.

Days 2-7 Day 8

The birds at this time include some really sought-after Siberian specialities.

We start amidst the conifers of the taiga forest in Finland, which still harbour Siberian Tit, Siberian Jay and Pine Grosbeak, before crossing north into Norway, where the sheltered coastal waters have three species of eider in stunning plumage, and are thronged with seabirds.

In March there is plenty of daylight to take advantage of this wildlife, while the nights are still long enough to give us a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights in all their glory. We’ll also do some astronomy here.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

Our ‘Auroras and Wildlife’ trips have proved highly popular, and with 2014/15 also promising to be great aurora years, come and join us on this amazing trip to Lapland!

Days 2-3 Days 4-5 Day 6 Day 7

We fly from London to Helsinki and onwards to Ivalo.

Overnight Kaamanen Two nights Batsfjord This morning we drive back over the mountain road, and down to renowned Varangerfjord. Two nights Vardo.

Overnight Kaamanen.

We drive back to Ivalo for a morning flight to Helsinki connecting with our return flight to London.

NUMBERS:

14-21 April Brian Small & Andrea Corso 23-30 April David Fairhurst & Andrea Corso Max. 12 clients

PRINCPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Barrie Cooper Max. 12 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,645 £125 £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£2,795 £275 £300 PER PERSON

LEADERS:

The price is per person and is fully inclusive of scheduled flights London/Catania return, all accommodation and meals, surface transport, admission fees and permits, tips, airport taxes, map, bird checklist & services of the leaders.

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London-Ivalo, 6 nights’ accommodation as outlined above, all meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 7, boat trip as described, minibus transport and the services of the leader(s).

The price excludes insurance, drinks, optional private sightseeing excursions and other items of a personal nature.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Catania) please deduct £160 per person from the tour cost.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Ivalo) please deduct £200 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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CESIS CASTLE ©LIZ CHARTER

SCARCE LARGE BLUE ©ECOTOURS WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

BLACK-HEADED BUNTING ©ECOTOURS WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Latvia’s Wild Harvest

Slovenia & Hungary

Montenegro & Albania

Mushrooms, Berries… & other Edible Wildlife!

Butterflies & Wildlife

The unknown Adriatic in Spring

Sat 12 – Sat 19 September 2015 (8 days)

A superb and imaginative brand new itinerary covering one of Europe’s newest nations – Slovenia. We travel from the majestic Julian Alps, through Slovenia’s limestone mountains and alpine meadows, to the Mediterranean coast – surely one of the most varied itineraries possible in Europe!

Join Liz Charter on a fantastic fungus foray to an Eastern European country where wild-gathered food is still a part of the culture – Latvia.

The Latvians make use of a rich and varied wild harvest from their countryside and September is the very best time to appreciate this. We sample a wide range of local delicacies and seasonal foods, finding them in the wild and learning about their cooking and preparation in the company of local experts.

Latvia has extensive natural forests, bogs, wetlands, lakes and coastal habitats, and we aim to visit examples of each. We should see migrating birds such as cranes, and find signs of the larger forest animals. We might be lucky enough to see beavers, deer or wild boar. We also expect to see late-flowering plants, some dragonflies, amphibians and reptiles..

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Liz Charter & local guide Max. 14 clients

PRICE: £1,595 SINGLE SUPP: £165 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London-Riga, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals in Latvia, incidental tips, transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips to the local driver & guides, drinks, and other personal expenses.

Tue 14 – Tue 21 July 2015 (8 days)

Snowy mountain tops or dry grasslands? Both can be found in Slovenia, a nation with wonderful scenery and rich wildlife, and still relatively unknown and undiscovered. Slovenia is extremely rich in forests and other natural landscapes, which host many species that are rarely seen in other countries, especially the mountain ringlets.

Amongst the soaring crags of the Julian Alps, we explore its lakes, forests and high mountain pastures in search of a large variety of these rarities. We then head to the Adriatic coast in search of Mediterranean Long-tailed Blue, and Cleopatra, visit the beautiful glacial lake of Bohinj in the Triglav National park, before spending three days on the Slovenian-Hungarian border, where all four Large Blue species co-occur. Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

Sat 11 – Sun 19 April 2015 (9 days) We’ll birdwatch amongst the area’s rich wetlands, its conifer-clad mountains, the fjords of the Adriatic coast and islands, starting and ending the tour in the wonderful old walled city of Dubrovnik.

Montenegro is the youngest country in Europe and despite its tiny size it contains a wealth of different habitats all within easy reach. The Mediterranean Sea Coast has the most striking scenery in Europe, but besides the beaches it also offers saltpans, sand dunes and the delta of River Bojana, all important migration stopovers.

Further inland lies Lake Skadar sandwiched between mountains, home to thousands of Pygmy Cormorants, and is the westernmost nesting place of the endangered Dalmatian Pelican. However, if this wasn’t enough, we also make a short visit into Albania. One of the least known countries in Europe, its potential for birding is huge!

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

István Bártol Max. 14 clients

PRICE: £1,495 SINGLE SUPP: £175 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,795 £175 £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London Gatwick-Ljubljana, accommodation, meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, admissions, and leadership.

The price is per person and includes return flights London - Dubrovnik, airport taxes, ground transportation, accommodation on a full-board basis, local taxes, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips to the driver and local guides, drinks, and other personal expenses.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Martin Strauss Max. 12 clients

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (ex Ljubljana) please deduct £100 per person from the tour cost.

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Riga/Riga) please deduct £195 per person from the tour cost.

* For an ex-flight cost (Dubrovnik/Dubrovnik) please deduct £245 per person from the tour cost.

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EUROPE, NORTH AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST

NORTHERN BALD IBIS

HIGH ATLAS FADE

Morocco in Spring

Morocco in Autumn

Sahara, High Atlas & Atlantic Coast

Agadir & Goulimime

Sun 22 March - Wed 1 April 2015 (11 days)

Sat 1 - Sat 8 November 2014 (8 days) Sat 31 October - Sat 7 November 2015 (8 days)

The best birding in North Africa on this classic 11-day tour exploring the deserts, mountains and marshes of southern Morocco. Bald Ibis, Creamcoloured Courser, Levaillant’s Woodpecker, Pharaoh Eagle Owl, Egyptian Nightjar, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Black-crowned Tchagra, Maghreb Magpie, 11 species of lark, Tristram’s, Scrub and African Desert Warblers, eight wheatear species, Moussier’s Redstart and the fast disappearing Desert Sparrow... all seen on our 2014 tour!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Fly London-Marrakech. Two nights Marrakech.

High Atlas Mountains.

Across the Tizi n’Tichka pass, east to Boumalne du Dades.

Two nights Boumalne du Dades.

Day 4 Tagdilt track and Gorges du Todra.

Days 5-6 The Sahara for Desert Sparrow. Two nights Merzouga.

Day 7 Heading west. Overnight at Ouarzazate.

Day 8 Anti-Atlas and the argana forest. Overnight at Taroudannt.

Days 9-10 Atlantic coast: Cap Rhir, Oued Souss and Oued Massa.

Two nights Agadir Day 11 North from Agadir. Fly Marrakech-London Please note: airline schedules to Morocco occasionally vary year on year, necessitating an adjustment to the itinerary on Days 1 and Day 11 as outlined above.

Dispel those mid-winter blues and join us for an exciting week of birding out of Agadir, on Morocco’s sunny Atlantic shore. Bald Ibis, Barbary Partridge, Plain Martin, Moussier’s Redstart and other North African specialities, plus a pelagic boat trip for seabirds – last year we saw Storm Petrels and Balearic Shearwaters. As in 2014, this year’s tour has an extended two-night stay at Goulimime, where we look for larks, wheatears and other desert birds.

If the cold, dark days of winter are getting you down, then this two-centre tour along the sunny Atlantic coast of southern Morocco offers the perfect panacea. With its warm, Mediterranean-type climate and fine diversity of habitats - from arid scrub coast to dramatic mountains - the Agadir region not only attracts good numbers of wintering European migrants but is also home to a fascinating resident bird population that has a distinctly African flavour.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 Days 2-3 Days 4-5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8

Fly London-Agadir. Three nights Agadir.

Cap Rhir, Bald Ibis and Agadir pelagic boat trip.

South to the desert via Oued Massa. Two nights Goulimime.

Goulimime to Agadir, returning via Oued Massa. Two nights Agadir.

Immouzer.

Oued Sous. Fly Agadir-London.

PRINCPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Arnoud van den Berg Max. 14 clients

PRINCPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Arnoud van den Berg Max. 12 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,995 £195 £400 PER PERSON

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,595 £145 £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person and includes return scheduled flights London-Marrakech, all accommodation, meals and transport, 4WD vehicle desert excursion at Merzouga, tips, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s.

The price excludes travel insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

The prices are per person and include return scheduled flights London-Agadir, all accommodation, meals, coach/minibus transport, pelagic boat trip off Agadir, transport, all entry fees, tips and gratuities, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s.

The price excludes travel insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Marrakech) please deduct £250 per person from the tour cost.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Agadir) please deduct £150 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

Both trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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EUROPE, NORTH AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST

WHITE STORKS ©MIKE READ

CITRINE ©ECOTOURS WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Southern Portugal

Poland in Spring

The Alentejo & Algarve in Spring

Primæval Forests & Bird-rich Marshes

Sat 4 – Sat 11 April 2015 (8 days)

Mon 11 – Mon 18 May 2015 (8 days)

With its great diversity of habitat providing first landfall for thousands of spring migrants and a fine range of resident birds on the coast and inland, Portugal’s Algarve and Alentejo regions have some of Europe’s finest spring birdwatching, and an outstanding flora. Add to this a range of varied and beautiful landscapes, a rich history, friendly people and some fine food and wine, and you have the makings of a great week!

We visit the wild ancient forest of Bialowieza, and some of Europe’s richest, most unspoilt marshland for some of the finest birdwatching and wildlife experiences that the continent has to offer.

The rolling plains, dotted with cork oaks, are home to Great and Little Bustards, larks, buntings, raptors including Montagu’s Harrier, breeding White Storks, European Bee-eaters and Hoopoes. Further south, the Algarve has a good variety of coastal habitats, from the rugged cliffs of Cape St Vincent on the Atlantic coast to the Salgados Marsh and Ria Formosa wetlands. There is also an impressive array of resident and breeding birds, including Azure-winged Magpie in the Stone Pines and Purple Gallinule in the freshwater marshes. In addition, the flowers in spring can be spectacular and varied.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-7

Day 8

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

We fly from London – Faro before heading inland to our spectacularly-situated and peaceful hotel where we stay for the full seven nights. Seven nights Quinta do Barranca de Estrada.

We may have some time for a little birdwatching locally before catching our return flight to London.

Rebecca Nason, Phil Harris & Frank McClintock Max. 12 clients

North-eastern Poland boasts, in a nutshell, some of the wildest and most unspoilt forest and freshwater marshland habitats in Europe. From the vast Biebrza Marshes to the ancient forest of Bialowieza, we travel through an old-world landscape where working horses still pull wooden carts, where free-range animals still run amongst the farm buildings, where ponds and patches of uncultivated ground are still scattered about the flower-rich countryside.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-4 Days 5-7 Day 8

We take a scheduled flight from London - Warsaw and drive to Bialowieza, where we spend four nights. Four nights Bialowieza.

Three nights Biebrza.

We drive back to Warsaw, and may have time for some final birding before taking our return flight to London.

Please note: that we can arrange optional extensions to the trip in Warsaw, for a chance to spend a bit more time in this delightful city. Please let us know at time of booking.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Attila Steiner and local guide Max. 14 clients

PRICE: £1,745 SINGLE SUPP: £175 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,495 SINGLE SUPP: £155 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of accommodation as detailed above, all meals, return flight London – Faro*, airport taxes, minibus transport, admissions, incidental tips and the services of the leaders.

The price is per person and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights London - Warsaw, accommodation, meals, ground transportation by minicoach, incidental tips, admissions and national park fees, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to local drivers and guides, and other personal expenses.

*We may be able to arrange flights to Faro from UK regional airports. Please enquire for details. For an ex-flight cost (Faro-Faro), please deduct £130 from the tour cost.

For an ex-flight cost (Warsaw/Warsaw), please deduct £155 from the holiday cost.

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black-winged stilt ©Mike Read

Romania

Days 2-4

Danube Delta and Black Sea Coast Fri 8 - Sat 16 May 2015 (9 days) Sat 5 - Sun 13 September 2015 (9 days)

Day 9

Our 9-day spring and autumn birdwatching tours to Romania feature three nights aboard a superior hotel-boat exploring the Danube Delta - and a choice of two exciting and differing itineraries within Europe’s greatest wetland wilderness! Plus the Black Sea coast and Macin Mountains National Park.

For its serene beauty and richness of birds, the immense Danube Delta is perhaps Europe’s greatest natural treasure. The largest reedbeds in the world are here and, from May through September, the Delta provides one of the continent’s major bird spectacles.

Whether your preference is to travel in May or September, both are excellent months to visit Romania. The sheer number and variety of birds present then is impressive: colourful Rollers and Bee-eaters are frequent beside the roads, and the flights of White Pelicans in choreographed flocks above the Delta are a sight not to be missed.

NUMBERS:

May David Fairhurst & Zoli Baczó Sept Robin Chittenden & Zoli Baczó Max. 12 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,945 £190 £300 PER PERSON

LEADERS:

Prices are per person and are fully inclusive of return scheduled flights LondonBucharest, all meals and accommodation including three nights aboard ‘hotel boat’ within the Danube Delta, midi/minibus transport (according to group size), permit fees, admissions, tips, airport taxes, map, bird checklist & services of the leaders.

Prices exclude insurance, drinks and other items of a personal nature.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Please note: The itineraries for our spring and autumn cruises in the Danube delta are different. Please refer to the full tour text online for further details.

Day 1

Days 5 Days 6-8

Black Sea coastal wetlands, woodlands and steppe.

Three nights Sinoe.

Babadag Forest and Macin Mountain National Park. Overnight Greci.

Exploring the Danube Delta onboard our floating hotel boat or ‘ponton’. Three nights onboard ‘ponton’.

Return to Bucharest, fly London.

Fly London-Bucharest. Transfer east to the Danube.

Overnight Calarasi.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Bucharest) please deduct £220 per person from the tour cost. *A limited number of single rooms is available on board the ponton (’hotel-boat’).

Please let us know as soon as possible if you wish to be assigned a single room.

Both trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

T H E T RAV E L L I N G N AT U RA L I S T

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gReateR flaMingo ©Mike Read

Sardinia Birds & Wildlife of the Mediterranean Day 8

Sat 5 - Sat 12 September 2015 (8 days) Having found Corsica to be superb for North-bound migrants in Spring, we decided it only right to head to neighbouring Sardinia in search of South-bound Autumn migrants!

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and holds all the elements of quintessential Mediterranean beauty, from white sandy beaches, to rolling plains, wetlands and dramatic, mountain ranges.

Located on a main migration route between Europe and Africa, with its fabulous array of migrating and endemic species the island is the perfect spot for an autumnal birdwatching break.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-2 We take a scheduled flight from London to Cagliari arriving midday, where we then take a leisurely drive to Orgosolo. Two nights Orgosolo.

Days 3-7 Today we transfer to Hotel Tanca Irde (or similar depending on availability) near Cagliari for our 5-night stay. Five nights Cagliari.

If timing of the flight allows, we may have a little time for some local birding before catching our flight home to London from Cagliari Airport.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Mike & Liz Read Max. 12 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,845 £185 £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of scheduled return flights London-Cagliari*, airport taxes, full board accommodation, minibus transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leader.

the price excludes travel insurance, drinks and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost (ex-Cagliari) please deduct £165 from the tour cost.

T H E T RAV E L L I N G N AT U RA L I S T

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MoussieR's RedstaRt ©Manja

Spain & Morocco Following Migration Across the Strait Thur 17 - Sat 26 September 2015 (10 days) A unique 10-day birding tour to southern Spain and northern Morocco, timed to coincide with one of Europe’s greatest avian spectacles - the mass migration of birds of prey and storks over the Strait of Gibraltar. Join us - in springtime or in autumn - as we hop on board a ferry and follow the migrating birds across the Strait!

All this plus a superb range of North African specialities, including Marsh Owl, Levaillant’s Woodpecker and Moussier’s Redstart, that simply don’t occur on the European shore.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 Days 2-3 Day 4 Days 5 Day 6

Fly London-Gibraltar. Watching for migration from the Spanish shore. Three nights Tarifa.

Watching the migration in Spain, plus visit to La Janda.

Morning Spain, afternoon ferry to Tangier. South along Moroccan coast. Two nights Asilah.

Oued Loukkos and Merdja Zerga for Marsh Owl. Boat trip on Merdja Zerga, Lac de Sidi Bourhaba. Two nights Skhirat.

Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

The Zaërs and cork oak forests.

Eleonora’s Falcon and Rif Mountains. Overnight Chefchaouen.

Rif Mountains and migrants along Moroccan coast.

Afternoon ferry Tangier-Tarifa. Overnight Tarifa.

Fly Gibraltar-London.

PRINCPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Fernando Enrique Max. 12 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,995 £185 £300 PER PERSON

The prices are per person and includes scheduled flights London-Gibraltar, return ferry crossings Tarifa-Tangier, all accommodation, meals, coach/minibus transport, boat trip on Merdja Zerga, permits/entry fees, tips and gratuities, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s.

the price excludes travel insurance, drinks & other items of a personal nature.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Gibraltar) please deduct £150 per person from the tour cost.

Both trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

T H E T RAV E L L I N G N AT U RA L I S T

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OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS EUROPE, NORTH AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST

the sandstone Pinnacles of Riglos ©john MuddeMan

azuRe-winged MagPie ©MaRgaRet welby

Northern Spain

Extremadura

Wallcreepers & Cranes in Aragón

Spring and autumn weeks in Spain’s secret wilderness

Sun 16 - Sat 22 November 2014 (7 days) Sun 29 November - Sat 5 December 2015 (7 days) Join us for a late autumn or early spring break to the mountains, steppes and wetlands of Northern Spain, with wintering raptors and mountain birds in the Pyrenean foothills, Dupont’s Lark and sandgrouse on the steppes, and thousands of Cranes going to roost at the Laguna de Gallocanta… and an excellent chance of getting close to that stunning mountain sprite, Wallcreeper!

Starting in the High Pyrenees, and reaching down nearly as far as Valencia, the vast Spanish region of Aragón contains almost all the types of inland wildlife habitat to be found in Spain. Here there are wetlands packed with birds, especially in winter, rolling dry grassland and farmland - the ‘Spanish Steppe’ - rugged forested hills and canyons, and the snowcapped mountains of the Pyrenees themselves.

We travel to this area in late autumn, when thousands of Cranes are present on one of the lakes, when sandgrouse form flocks on the steppe country, and when high mountain birds, such as Alpine Accentor and Wallcreeper have moved to more accessible lower altitudes.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

55

John Muddeman Max. 12 clients

Sat 21 March – Sat 28 March 2015 (8 days) Sat 26 September – Sat 3 October 2015 (8 days) For more than a decade we’ve been running tours to the heart of one of our favourite areas in Europe, Spain’s secret wilderness of Extremadura, for spring and autumn breaks. Join us for a full week in this Spanish heaven!

The wild and beautiful country of Extremadura holds some of Europe’s most endangered bird species in their last strongholds. The rolling plains of the “Spanish Steppes”, well-represented here, are home to Europe’s strongest remaining population of its largest bird, Great Bustard, together with good numbers of Little Bustard, and both Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse.

A spectacular assemblage of raptors includes Black Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle and Black-shouldered Kite.

Throughout the area, with its picturesque villages and huge savannahlike landscape, White Stork nests can be found almost everywhere you look.

This is a unique, and incredibly distinctive part of Europe, with lovely scenery, small empty lanes, and absolutely brimming with birds: don’t just take our word for it - join us here! Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADERS: NUMBERS:

PRICE: £1,545 SINGLE SUPP: £160 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of accommodation as detailed above, all meals, scheduled return flights London – Barcelona*, airport taxes, minibus transport, tips, admissions and the services of the leaders.

the price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost (starting and finishing the tour in Barcelona) please deduct £135 from the tour cost.

Spring 2015 Autumn 2015 Max. 12 clients

John Muddeman Tim Earl

PRICE: £1,695 SINGLE SUPP: £185 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of accommodation as detailed above, all meals, return flight London - Madrid*, airport taxes, minibus transport, admissions and the services of the leaders.

the price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Madrid/Madrid) please deduct £125 per person from the tour cost.

T H E T RAV E L L I N G N AT U RA L I S T

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ibeRian lynx ©byRon Palancius

finding lady’s sliPPeR ©Mike lockwood

Spanish Lynx Quest Andujar and Coto Doñana

The High Aragón

Sat 28 February - Sat 7 March 2015 (8 days) Sat 24 - Sat 31 October 2015 (8 days)

Sat 6 - Sat 13 June 2015 (8 days)

Join us to explore some of the most wonderful and wild corners of Andalucia: the vast Doñana National Park and the rugged Andujar Natural Park: the last refuges of the rarest cat in the world, the critically endangered Iberian Lynx, as well as being home to a wealth of other mammals and birds.

An expert at slipping through its scrubby habitat unseen, the Iberian Lynx is the smallest of the world’s three lynx species. Although it is one of the hardest European wild cats to see, we have designed a trip to maximise our chances as well as enabling us to learn about its ecology and conservation.

On this tour we will spend our time enjoying the diverse mammals and birds within these two, quite different, Iberian Lynx habitats, with our base in truly beautiful and typical local villages adding an extra magical experience to our journey.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-3 Days 4-7 Day 8

Spanish Pyrenees

Fly London – Seville, transfer to the rocky hills and mountains of the Andujar Natural Park. Three nights Andujar.

We drive west to El Rocio, on the edge of the renowned Coto Doñana. Four nights El Rocio.

We return to Seville and catch a return flight to London.

Accommodation: In Andujar we stay in forest cabins. All rooms are en suite, except for the singles at Andujar, please enquire.

With snowcapped mountains to the north and pine-clad rocky hills rising dramatically from the Aragón Valley floor to the south - the Spanish Pyrenees make a truly spectacular setting for a wildlife holiday.

We stay in the town of Jaca in the central Spanish Pyrenees, within easy reach of high mountains to the north, pine forests and the superb pinnacles of Riglos to the south.

Red and Black Kites, together with Griffon and Egyptian Vultures and Booted Eagles soar overhead, while Short-toed Eagles hover over the open hillsides searching for snakes and lizards, and Golden Eagles hunt amongst the highest peaks.

But for most birdwatchers, one of the major goals of a visit to the Spanish Pyrenees must be to see that most rakish and dashing of vultures, the Lammergeier. This is one of the best places in Europe to see this threatened species, and most years we see individuals on several occasions during our stay.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-7

Day 8

We take a morning flight from London – Bilbao (or Barcelona if flight times are awkward!), and transfer to the Aragón Valley and the small town of Jaca. Seven nights Jaca.

We return to Bilbao or Barcelona and catch an evening return flight to London. Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

John Muddeman Max. 12 clients

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: SS EN SUITE ANDUJAR**: DEPOSIT:

£1,695 £145 £295 £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,695 SINGLE SUPP: £175 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

John Muddeman Max. 12 clients

The price per person includes return flight from London – Seville, airport taxes, 7 nights’ accommodation, meals, incidental tips, minibus transport and the services of the leaders.

The price per person includes return flight from London – Bilbao/Barcelona, airport taxes, 7 nights’ accommodation, meals, incidental tips, minibus transport and the services of the leaders.

the price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

the price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Seville/Seville) please deduct £125 per person from the tour cost. Please check with us about timings before arranging your own travel.

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour please deduct £125 per person from the tour cost. Please check with us to see which airport we are using in Spain!

These trips will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

T H E T RAV E L L I N G N AT U RA L I S T

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gReat gRey owl ©laRs kaRlsson

beaRded tit ©daniel gReen

dRagonfly ©daniel gReen

Central Sweden Central Sweden Central Sweden Scandinavian Spring

Scandinavian Autumn

Thur 16 – Sun 19 April 2015 (4 days)

Fri 4 – Tues 8 September 2015 (5 days)

Spend a few days amongst the wild forests and lakes of central Sweden with Capercaillie, Three-toed Woodpecker, and a wonderful selection of owls. Add breeding waders, Cranes and divers, and some superb hotels and food, and you have the ingredients for a hugely enjoyable short break!

Spend a few autumn days amongst the wild forests and lakes of central Sweden with tens of thousands of migrating Cranes and geese, the chance of seeing Bluethroats and other migrants in the hand, a selection of northern moths and butterflies, and even rutting Elk. Add superb hotels and food, and you have the ingredients for a hugely enjoyable short autumn break!

Central Sweden’s forests are an outpost of the great belt of ‘taiga’ forest that stretches in a swathe between the arctic tundra and temperate forests of Eurasia. These woodlands are clearly different to almost anything we have in Britain, and an echo, at least, of the original ‘Wildwood’ that covered much of Europe before the arrival of man. And, as befits their wild appearance, these Central Swedish forests are correspondingly rich in fauna, combining elements of the arctic with central European and alpine wildlife.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-3

Day 4

We take a morning flight from London direct to Stockholm (Arlanda). Three nights Salbohedgardens.

After a final mornings birdwatching we head back to Stockholm airport for our afternoon flight back to London.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Daniel Green Max. 8 clients

As the summer draws to a close, the peaceful forests, lakes and water meadows of central Sweden act as a magnet for thousands of migrating birds as they head south through Scandinavia to warmer climes.

In addition to an abundance of migrants, the many resident birds will be active and busily putting on weight to see them through the snowy months ahead.

Mammals will also be on the cards, including the mighty Elk, the bulls of which will ready for the autumn rut with a full rack of antlers!

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Daniel Green Max. 8 clients

Butterflies & Dragonflies of the Scandinavian summer!

Sat 27 June – Fri 3 July 2015 (7 days) Central Sweden offers a good variety of Butterflies, in fact around 85 of Sweden´s 120 species can be seen here, and an internationally interesting combination of Dragonflies and Damselflies, although not all at the same time!

In this splendid time of uprising Nordic summer, with nights as short as merely an hour of twilight, a fascinating collection of unique Scandinavian species are on the menu.

This is in fact the best time to see Poplar Admiral, Baltic Grayling, Scarce Fritillary, Friggas Fritillary and many more. We visit a handful of central Sweden’s richest butterfly-sites without any long drives. A trip to the Baltic coast and the island Gräsö gives a chance of Glanville Fritillary and on the mainland not far away, we find Clouded Apollos. This time of year is also the best for several of Scandinavia´s Dragonfly specialities, such as Yellow-spotted–, Lilypad– and Ruby Whiteface, Common Clubtail, Small Pincertail and the very rare and tiny Pygmy Damselfly or Sedgling.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Daniel Green Max. 8 clients

PRICE: £1,495 SINGLE SUPP: £115 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,495 SINGLE SUPP: £165 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,645 SINGLE SUPP: £125 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of scheduled return economy-class flights London- Stockholm, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of scheduled return economy-class flights London- Stockholm, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of scheduled return economy-class flights London- Stockholm, airport taxes, accommodation, all meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

the price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

the price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

the price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost (starting and finishing the tour in Stockholm) please deduct £135 from the tour cost.

*For an ex-flight cost (starting and finishing the tour in Stockholm) please deduct £135 from the tour cost.

*For an ex-flight cost (starting and finishing the tour in Stockholm) please deduct £135 from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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MatteRhoRn ©john MuddeMan

beaRs ©ecotouRs wildlife holidays

Switzerland

Hungary & Transylvania

The Swiss Alps in Summer

Birds and Bears

Sat 13 – Sat 20 June 2015 (8 days)

Sun 31 May – Mon 8 June 2015 (9 days)

An 8-day summer birdwatching holiday to the glorious Swiss Alps, with Lammergeier, Nutcracker and Alpine Accentor among specialities to look for.

Also featuring some wonderful alpine butterflies, plus a journey by mountain railway from Zermatt up to 3000m for lunch with the Alpine Choughs, Snowfinch and spectacular views to the Matterhorn!

We take a spring tour with an imaginative new itinerary to two strikingly different areas in Eastern Europe: the Hortobágy in Eastern Hungary and Transylvania in Romania for an excellent variety of habitats and birds, and a chance to see some of Europe’s largest mammalian predators!

Switzerland is rightly famous for its stupendous upland scenery and crisp mountain air. The southern Valais region that borders with Italy is one of the most beautiful, and a prime location for alpine birding. From Geneva, we follow the mighty Rhône valley to reach our base in the picturesque Val d’Herens, which is both a Parc Regional and a Biosphere Reserve.

With no changes of hotel to worry about during our stay, here we shall be free to devote ourselves to some of the most spectacular birding and landscapes in all Switzerland: from the glaciers at the head of the lovely Val d’Herens itself, east to the famous Gornergrat with its majestic views of the Matterhorn. With easy paced walks and plenty of invigorating Swiss mountain air, this tour offers a splendid introduction to alpine birds and wildlife.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Richard Thaxton Max. 12 clients

PRINCIPAL LEADERS: NUMBERS:

The sweeping landscapes of the steppe country extend across a huge swathe of temperate Eurasia, eastwards to Mongolia and beyond.

This ancient landscape is still grazed by herds of the huge, long-horned Hungarian Grey Cattle, descendants of the hardy cattle driven here by the original Hungarian horsemen more than a thousand years ago, and offers some of Europe’s most exciting birdwatching.

A superb range of birds is possible on this tour, and could include Great Bustard, Red-footed and Saker Falcons, Imperial Eagle, Pygmy Cormorant, Wallcreeper, Three-toed Woodpecker and Nutcracker, to mention just a few.

In contrast, Transylvania is a wild mountainous land, which hosts one of Europe’s best populations of large mammals, the star of which must be the Brown Bear. Our tour should give us the opportunity to observe these impressive creatures in the wild from special hides, and to learn more about their lives. In addition we will look for tracks of Wolf and Lynx.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

Barrie Cooper & Andras Bohm Max. 14 clients

PRICE: £1,845 SINGLE SUPP: £110 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,695 SINGLE SUPP: £185 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights London-Geneva, all accommodation and meals, minibus transport; mountain railway excursion to the Gornergratt, entrance fees, tips, airport taxes, bird and butterfly checklist, and services of the leader/s.

The price per person includes return flights from London-Budapest/Bucharest-London*, airport taxes, 8 nights’ accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

the price excludes travel insurance, drinks and other personal expenses.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Geneva) please deduct £245 per person from the tour cost.

the price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips for the driver and local guide, drinks, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Budapest/Bucharest) please deduct £245 per person from the tour cost.

This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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eMli goRge ©Mike langMan

59

white stoRks flock ©david cotteRidge

Southern Turkey

Bosporus

Deltas, Tarsus Mountains & Cappadocia

Migrants and Mosques

Sat 9 – Sun 17 May 2015 (9 days)

Sat 12 - Sat 19 September 2015 (8 days)

We return again to one of the most varied birdwatching areas in the region, with some fabulous birds, superb scenery, and a fascinating culture and history.

The Bosporus at Istanbul is unique. Nowhere else offers the magnificent spectacle of thousands of hawks, buzzards, eagles and storks soaring overhead, together with the chance to explore one of the world’s most vibrant and romantic cities. We also spend three nights at the historic city of Bursa and go in search of mountain specialities, migrant waders and waterbirds.

Southern Turkey offers some of the finest birdwatching to be had anywhere in Europe and the Middle East, and yet remains surprisingly undiscovered amongst birdwatchers. It has all the ingredients: excellent wetlands, a river delta; some fine arid habitats with several species at the extreme western edge of their range; open hill and dry steppe with its very specific birds; some wonderful snow-covered peaks, rising to 3,910m at the summit and finally the magnificent scenery of Cappadocia, a must for any would-be geologist or historian. All this, at probably the very best time of the birding year!

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-2 Days 3-4

Flight London via Istanbul to Adana, where we stay for two nights.

We head for one of the richest birdwatching areas in Turkey, the Goksü Delta. Two nights Tasucu.

Days 5-6 We drive up into the mountains towards Nigde.

Two nights near Nigde.

Days 7-8 Staying in the heart of Cappadocia. Two nights Goreme.

Return flight to London arriving early on Day 9.

Accommodation In the mountains we stay for three nights at a family-run guesthouse as described, with some rooms not en suite. Single rooms may not be available here.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Mike Langman with local guides Max. 14 clients

Istanbul enjoys a justifiable reputation as one of the world’s great cities, and for many centuries was the capital of the civilised world. For the last 3,000 years, firstly as Byzantium, then Constantinople, and latterly as Istanbul, it has held importance in the Greek, Roman and Ottoman empires.

Much of this can be traced to its strategic position guarding the crossroads between Europe and Asia. It is this position at the entrance of the narrow channel running between the Mediterranean and Black Sea which also explains its importance as a migration watch-point, and particularly so for large soaring birds!

OUTLINE ITINERARY LondonHeathrow to Istanbul arriving in the early evening. Overnight Istanbul.

Days 2-4 Three nights Bursa Day 5-7 Three nights Istanbul Day 8 We spend our final morning on the Çamlica Hills before returning for our afternoon flight to Heathrow arriving back in London mid-evening.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

PRICE: £1,995 SINGLE SUPP: £335 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price per person includes return scheduled flight from London Heathrow - Adana, airport taxes, accommodation, meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

the price excludes the cost of a turkish visa (approx. €20 obtainable online), holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses, optional tips to the local driver & guides, drinks, and other items of a personal nature. *The single supp. applies to the nights at Tasucu and Adana only. Singles at the guesthouse near Nigde may not be available.

For an ex-flight cost (Adana/Adana) please deduct £275 from the total cost

Mike Langman Max. 14 clients

PRICE: £1,795 SINGLE SUPP: £175 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return economy scheduled flights London-Istanbul, airport taxes, full board accommodation, coach transport, incidental tips, and the services of the leader(s).

the price excludes the cost of a turkish visa (approx. €20 obtainable online), holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

For an ex-international flight cost (starting and finishing in Istanbul) please deduct £245 per person from the tour cost.

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ASIA

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outeR Mongolia ©ecotouRs wildlife holidays

Mongolia Birding the land of Ghengis Khan Fri 29th May–Thu 11th June (14 days) An awe-inspiring14-day birdwatching tour to the majestic landscape of Mongolia, lying at the heart of Asia. Birds abound amidst the endless steppes and deserts, with resident and hundreds of migrants passing through. From the Gobi Desert and Gobi Altai Mountains to Gun Galuut and the steppe lakes to the birds and mammals of the Taiga forests in Terelj and Khustain National Parks.

Sandwiched between Russia to the north and China to the south, Mongolia lies at the heart of eastern Asia. It is a land largely made up of vast, open steppe grasslands but with mountains in the north and west and the Gobi Desert in the south, populated by pastoral nomadic horsemen and yurts, where once Genghis Khan ruled his vast Mongol empire. For wildlife, Mongolia has a huge amount to offer the explorer: from the endless Gobi desert to the slopes of the Altai Mountains covered with beautiful evergreen forests, this country provides unspoilt scenery, stunning landscapes and a mouth watering array of species, many unique to the various habitats visited on the tour.

Birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts are more and more keen to explore the land of endless blue skies, the country of the spectacular Gobi Desert, the Altai Mountains and the unique Asian steppes in search of the many species that characterise the area, some of them very difficult to see elsewhere. Our itinerary combines some of the best areas for birds and for other wildlife, especially mammals, yet it is a compact and well-balanced holiday.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1 Day 2 Days 3-4

Depart LHR for our overnight flight to Ulan Bataar, via Istanbul.

Arrive Ulan Bataar – local birding. Overnight night Ulan Bataar.

Gun Galuut Nature Reserve. Two nights Gun Galuut.

Days 5-6 Days 7-8 Days 9-10 Day 11 Days 12-13

Transfer to Terelj National Park. Two nights Terelj.

Fly Ulan Bataar – Dalanzadgad. Two nights Dalanzadgad.

Gobi Desert; Khongoryn Else sand dunes. Two nights Ger camp.

Altai Mountains; Dalanzadgad. Overnight Dalanzadgad.

Fly Ulan Bataar; Hustain National Park and Ugii Lake.

Two nights Ger camp.

Day 14 Transfer to Ulan Bataar; fly London (arrive same day).

Accommodation Overall good, but please note that Mongolian hotels can average below the international standard. All rooms en suite. We spend four nights in Ger (Yurt) camps. These accommodate tourists and are usually very comfortable but simply furnished - facilities here are shared.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Peter Kennerley & Balascz Szigeti Max. 12 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£4,795 £350 £600 PER PERSON

Cost includes scheduled return flights London-Ulan Bataar, all accommodation, meals, minibus transport, entrance fees/permits, incidental tips to local driver/guides, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s.

the price excludes insurance, Mongolian visit visa, drinks & other items of a personal nature.

For an ex-flight cost (starting and finishing the tour in Ulan Bataar) please deduct £720 per person from the tour cost This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.

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BRITISH ISLES

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beaRed tit ©MaRgaRet welby

st MaRtin ©will wagstaff

Dorset

Isles of Scilly

Coastal migrants & heathland specialities

Spring & Autumn on the magical isles

Mon 4 - Thur 7 May 2015 (4 days) Mon 19 - Thur 22 October 2015 (4 days)

Sat 23 - Sat 30 May 2015 (8 days) Sat 19 - Sat 26 September 2015 (8 days)

Join Bob Ford as we go back to our roots on a short break in our wonderful home county of Dorset, at one of its very best hotels!

A myriad of rocky isles and islets set in the Atlantic and warmed by the Gulf Stream, with spectacular sub-tropical flowers in bloom around the walls and small gardens… superb ever-changing scenes of rocks, waves, light and shade… a patchwork of small bulb fields surrounded by stone walls and quiet winding lanes, with tall elm trees still thriving in the hedgerows… and, of course, one of the most exciting places in Britain to watch birds!

South Dorset with the Isle of Portland sticking out into the English Channel includes some of the best sites in Britain – and some would say Europe to witness the spectacle of bird migration.

Each spring and autumn thousands of migrants break their journeys by resting on Portland’s fields and shoreline. The fields and hedges at this time can be alive with warblers, chats and flycatchers, with Wheatears on the open fields. Offshore, seabirds such as skuas and shearwaters stream past the tip of Portland - ‘the Bill’ - en route to their Arctic breeding areas.

Some, such as the Puffin, stop to breed on Portland’s high cliffs, along with a growing population of Peregrine Falcons and Ravens. Portland is also famous for producing a surprise or two!

The RSPB reserves at Radipole and Lodmoor are nearby with their breeding Bearded Tits and Cetti’s Warblers. Dartford Warblers and Wood Larks are only a few miles further away on Dorset’s heathlands.

Travel Rail travellers can be met at Weymouth station between 5 and 6 pm.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Bob Ford Max. 8 clients

May is an excellent time for spring migrants, whilst Autumn often gives us an American wader or two, and more unpredictable continental migrants.

While we aim to visit the off-islands of Tresco, Bryher and St Martin’s, and St Agnes, the itinerary is very weather-dependent.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Day 1

Depart Penzance in the afternoon on a scheduled skybus flight (20 mins) Penzance-St Mary’s.

Days 2-7 Excursions include: Half Day walk on St Marys and Seabird trip in alternate part of day, depending upon tide and weather. Full day on Tresco including pm in Tresco Abbey Gardens. Shearwater trip one evening. Full Day on St Agnes. Full day on St Mary’s.

Day 8 Depart St Mary’s airfield on a morning flight to Penzance.

We shall be walking more than on our usual trips. It is difficult to predict the distances involved, but we shall be on our feet off and on for most of the day in our search for wildlife.

LEADERS: NUMBERS:

Will Wagstaff Max. 10 clients

PRICE: £525 SINGLE SUPP: £135 DEPOSIT: £150 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,445 SINGLE SUPP: £195 DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of 3 nights’ accommodation, meals from Monday evening to Thursday lunchtime, transport, tips, admissions and the services of the leader.

The price is per person and includes return scheduled Skybus flight* Land’s End or Newquay-St Mary’s, 7 nights’ accommodation, all meals including lunches from dinner on the first evening to breakfast on the final morning, travel as on the itinerary including boat fees, landing fees and admissions and the services of the leaders.

the price excludes holiday insurance, drinks and other personal expenses.

Prices exclude travel insurance, travel to and from land’s end airfield, drinks and other personal expenses.

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O P E N I N G H O U R S : M O N - F R I 9 A M TO 5 P M ( A L L Y E A R ) E XC E P T BA N K H O L I DAYS W W W. N AT U R A L I S T.CO.U K +44 ( 0 ) 1305 267 994

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Photo ©liz chaRteR

Western Ireland The Burren & Aran Islands Sat 6 - Sat 13 June 2015 (8 Days) A spring visit to the far west of Europe combining the fabulous flowers of the Burren, a natural rock garden with an exploration of this lovely coastal part of Ireland, including a two-night stay on the beautiful Aran Islands.

The Burren, from the Gaelic An Bhoireann, meaning a stony place, is a plateau of carboniferous limestone. Worn bare by the last glaciation, only 15,000 years ago, the rock forms an amazing landscape of limestone pavements cut by gullies, swallet holes and underground rivers and caves. The area is renowned for these rock formations and its relics of ancient civilisations, but is best known for its unique and rich combination of Mediterranean and Arctic-Alpine flora. Here can be found together such gems as Spring Gentian, Pyramidal Bugle, Fen Violet and Mountain Avens. The gullies between the limestone pavements harbour rare ferns, the wild shrubby potentilla is notable, and the whole area is an exciting plant-hunting ground. We explore a beautiful limestone lough, discover stunted yew and hazel scrub perhaps seeing Wood White butterflies (the Burren is home to 80% of Ireland’s butterflies), and look out from the hill tops over a very distinctive landscape.

To the south, the spectacular Cliffs of Moher harbour superb seabird colonies (including Puffins and other auks), complete with Red-billed Chough and Peregrine, and there is always a chance of whales and dolphins offshore.

The whole area has much evidence of man’s past, with megalithic tombs, portal dolmens, ring forts, round towers and castles, some of which we will visit.

We’ll also be making a two-night visit to the delightful Aran Islands (home of the Aran sweater!). First we aim to visit Inishmor, the largest of the islands, with some excellent limestone flora, and an astonishing prehistoric semi circular stone fort – Dun Aengus and then travel across to Inisheer, where we stay for two nights at Tigh Ruairí (Rory’s House) which offers delicious traditional home cooking!

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

PRINCIPAL LEADER: NUMBERS:

Liz Charter Max. 8 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,295 £120 £300 PER PERSON

The price per person includes 7 nights accommodation, meals from evening meal on day 1 to lunch on day 8, minibus transport, return ferry crossing to Inisheer, admissions, tips, and the services of the leaders.

the price excludes travel to and from shannon airport, holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

Please do not book your flights before consulting us about the flight times!

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BRITISH ISLES

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standing stones at callanish

biRds and ancient histoRy at the Ring of bRodgaR

Lewis & Harris

Orkney

Divers, Seabirds and Standing Stones

Wildlife and History

Sat 25 April – Fri 1 May 2015 (7 days)

Wed 6 – Wed 13 May 2015 (8 days)

Join us for a trip to the northern Outer Hebrides – the ornithologically unexplored conjoined isles of Lewis and Harris. The former has vast moorlands, the latter high mountains, but both have the fabulous machair grassland where waders and Corncrakes nest, wonderful coastlines for seabirds, and probably the best chance in Britain of seeing four species of diver in breeding plumage!

We spend a spring week on the green isles of the north for huge numbers of breeding birds, an excellent array of northern flowers, and some of Europe’s finest archaeological monuments.

Add to this some wonderful wild scenery and some superb historical sites, including what are arguably the most impressively-sited standing stones in Europe, at Callanish, and you have the ingredients for a great British holiday, in the company of Outer Hebrides resident naturalist Stephen Duffield.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-6 Day 7

We meet up with Stephen at Stornoway airport during the afternoon. Six nights Carloway.

The tour concludes at Stornoway airport for return flights in the afternoon.

Travel We meet Stephen at Stornoway airport on the first day at 1630, to meet the flight leaving from Glasgow at 1500, and pay our farewells there at around 1000 on the last day in time for the 1225 flight (based on 2014 schedules). Clients wishing to travel by ferry will be sent directions.

Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Stephen Duffield Max. 7 clients

The archipelago of Orkney forms a complex jigsaw of land and water, and the land itself is a patchwork of habitats: from sea-cliffs and beaches, through rich farmland and wetland, with numerous freshwater lochs, to areas of dry moorland.

The fertility of both the land and the sea, and the diversity here, gives rise to a corresponding wealth of wildlife, particularly birds, and Orkney boasts an amazing concentration of RSPB reserves to protect them. Huge numbers of Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin, Kittiwake and Fulmar throng the cliffs, breeding wildfowl, waders and Red-throated Diver haunt the small lochans, and, perhaps in their highest concentrations in Britain, Short-eared Owl quarter the moorland, along with both Great and Arctic Skua and a few Hen Harrier. Wild flowers also abound, including the minute and vivid Scottish Primrose, a British endemic species.

OUTLINE ITINERARY Clients may be met either at Stromness, where the ferry from Scrabster arrives in the early evening, or at Kirkwall Airport by arrangement on Day 1. During the week we plan two boat trips to other islands (weather permitting!) to Rousay and Hoy, as well as exploring Orkney Mainland and several other islands reachable by causeway. The tour concludes after breakfast on Day 8, when clients will be offered transport either to Stromness or Kirkwall. Please see our website www.naturalist.co.uk for full intinerary.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Liz Charter Max. 12 clients

PRICE: £1,245 SINGLE SUPP: £ NIL DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,195 SINGLE SUPP: £195 DEPOSIT: £200 PER PERSON

The price is per person and includes 6 nights’ accommodation, all meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 7, minibus transport, admissions, incidental tips and the services of the leader.

The price is per person and includes 7 nights’ accommodation, meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 8, transport within Orkney, admissions, and the services of the leader(s).

the price excludes flights to and from stornoway airport, travel insurance, drinks and other personal expenses.

the price excludes travel to and from orkney, holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

* Limited number of singles available at no supplement

Please do not book your flights to and from Orkney until you have had confirmation from us that the trip is going ahead as planned, and that your proposed times are suitable.

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O P E N I N G H O U R S : M O N - F R I 9 A M TO 5 P M ( A L L Y E A R ) E XC E P T BA N K H O L I DAYS W W W. N AT U R A L I S T.CO.U K +44 ( 0 ) 1305 267 994

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BRITISH ISLES

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langass stone ciRcle

otteR noRth uist ©steve duffield

Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

The Uists & Benbecula in Summer

The Uists & Benbecula in Autumn

Thur 11 - Wed 17 June 2015 (7 days)

Mon 12 – Sun 18 October 2015 (7 days)

Thurs 23 - Wed 29 July 2015 (7 days)

We return to one of Britain’s most remote and beautiful corners, where waders still breed in abundance, where divers in full breeding plumage haunt the lochs, where Golden Eagles soar, and where, almost uniquely now, the rasping calls of Corncrake can still be heard around the crofts.

The islands of the Outer Hebrides, or Western Isles, are renowned for their wild, windswept beauty, with glorious white shell-sand beaches on the Atlantic coast, and rugged moorland indented with numerous lochs in the east. All these habitats can be found within a few minutes drive of each other, and it is this diversity, packed into a small area, that gives these isles such a wealth of birds. In July the “machair”, is in full bloom, with multicoloured patches of Kidney Vetch, Tufted Vetch and both White and Red Clover creating a stunning and sweet smelling display. The other attraction of the machair at this time of year is the high concentrations of breeding waders, which are some of the best in Britain. Late July is also the best for the diversity of flowers and insects, and with a possibility of Storm Petrels, porpoises and dolphins as well!

This year we will be joining Steve Duffield for a special Autumn tour!

Few people come to the islands in autumn yet this is arguably one of the most exciting times of year as the holiday makers are replaced by masses of migrant birds.

Miles and miles of golden beaches are thronged with waders whilst the myriad of lochs come alive with wildfowl arriving from the north. Raptors can appear to be everywhere as the resident birds are enhanced by the addition of this year’s youngsters. Red Deer are in the midst of their rut and the bellowing of the stags attempting to impress the females regularly breaks the still morning air. Otters are common and more easily seen as the number of people admiring the scenery drop off and these delightful animals enjoy the renewed quiet and space. The long, seaweed strewn arms of the eastern sea lochs are ideal habitat for this playful creature as well as providing shelter for Harbour Seals. There’s always some wildlife to enjoy which-ever part of the islands you are in with the added bonus and spectacle of migrating birds.

OUTLINE ITINERARY

OUTLINE ITINERARY

Days 1-6

Days 1-6

Day 7

Meet Stephen at Oban at around 2:30 pm, for a 3.40 pm ferry departure to Lochboisdale on South Uist, with dinner on the ferry and arriving at around 8:50pm (based on 2014 ferry schedules).

Six nights Benbecula.

Depart Lochboisdale at about 2:00pm, arriving Oban by 7:30pm.

We can provide accommodation details in Oban if required.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Stephen Duffield Max. 7 clients

Day 7

Please note due to autumn sea conditions you will need to arrange your own flight to arrive at Benbecula airport for around 4:00pm where Stephen will be there to meet you, and transfer you to your hotel for dinner and your first overnight stay, with some afternoon birding if time allows. Six nights Benbecula.

Depart Benbecula Airport at about 12.00 pm on Day 7.

LEADER: NUMBERS:

Stephen Duffield Max. 7 clients

PRICE: £1,245 SINGLE SUPP: £ NIL DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

PRICE: £1,245 SINGLE SUPP: £ NIL DEPOSIT: £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person and includes 6 nights’ accommodation, all meals (except on the ferry crossings), ferry crossings as described above, minibus transport, admissions, incidental tips and the services of the leader(s).

The price is per person and includes 6 nights’ accommodation, all meals, as described above, minibus transport, admissions, incidental tips and the services of the leader(s).

the price excludes travel to and from oban, travel insurance, meals on the ferry crossings, drinks and other personal expenses.

the price excludes travel to and from benbecula, travel insurance, drinks and other personal expenses. * Limited number of singles available at no supplement

* Limited number of singles available at no supplement

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BRITISH ISLES

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black legged kittiwake ©Mike Read

Shetland

This is our first ‘photographically’ emphasised wildlife tour to Shetland’s hot-spots, with Lerwick-based bird photographer and ecologist Rebecca Nason & local expert wildlife and Otter guide Brydon Thomason taking us to some of the most stunning locations on the Isles. We spend time taking in and photographing the best that Shetland has to offer and undoubtably a host of special wildlife encounters.

Wildlife & Photography on Britain’s Arctic Isles Sat 20 - Sat 27 June 2015 (8 days) Perhaps it is the remoteness, but somehow, up here, the air seems that much clearer, a peaceful light summer night seems that much quieter, and the people seem that much friendlier than almost anywhere else in these islands. Add an abundance of seabirds, with some Arctic specialities, and who can resist a visit! We are there at a time when the sun hardly sets, when nights are merely a long twilight, known here as “the simmer dim”.

It is here that we set out to show you the cream of Shetland wildlife and put you in the right places to get those special, memorable shots.

The most northerly place in Britain, and some would say the most beautiful of all, Shetland forms a rugged archipelago of over a hundred islands and skerries, with a landscape of peat-covered rolling hills, a bewildering mosaic of sea lochs and rocky peninsulas, scattered crofts and innumerable freshwater lochs.

These remote havens hold some of the most spectacular seabird colonies in Britain, holding more than 10% of all of the UK’s seabirds! - a quarter of a million Puffins, and hundreds of thousands of Guillemot, with lesser numbers of Razorbill and Black Guillemot. There are accessible Gannet colonies here with at least fifteen thousand pairs, while the Kittiwake and Common and Arctic Terns have both Great and Arctic Skuas to contend with.

The lochs hold numerous pairs of Red-throated Diver, with several species of wildfowl and waders. Two wader species of national importance breed here - Whimbrel, which number several hundred pairs, and a handful of Red-necked Phalarope, sadly still in decline in Britain but with a last few birds still coming back each year. Shetland has become increasingly known for it’s abundance of Otters, whilst any of our boat trips or sea-watching from shore may produce Grey Seal, Harbour Seal & cetaceans such as Harbour Porpoise, Minke Whale & even Killer Whale (whose sightings are increasing annually!).

OUTLINE ITINERARY Days 1-3 Days 4-6

Day 7 Day 8

We collect you from Sumburgh airport & transfer you to Scalloway.

3 nights Scalloway.

We travel on the island ferries via Yell up to Unst, the northernmost island, where we stay for three nights at Baltasound.

Three nights Baltasound.

We travel back south to mainland Shetland. Overnight Scalloway.

The tour concludes after breakfast where there will be an optional transfer back to Sumburgh Airport.

PRINCIPAL LEADERS: Rebecca Nason & Brydon Thomason NUMBERS: Max. 8 clients

PRICE: SINGLE SUPP: DEPOSIT:

£1,195 £175 £300 PER PERSON

The price is per person and includes 7 nights’ accommodation as outlined above, all meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 8, ferry crossings within Shetland, minibus transport and the services of the leader(s).

the price excludes travel to and from shetland, holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

Please do not book your flights to and from Shetland until you have had confirmation from us that the trip is going ahead as planned, and that your proposed times are suitable.

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BOOKING INFORMATION WHEN TO BOOK • The short answer is as early as possible! Because we run small-group holidays, popular tours can fill up very fast • indeed, sometimes, as tour details appear on our website early, before the brochure comes out! Several bookings Ref

200U come in over -a year ahead for tours, and as a rule of thumb, many tours are full around four to six months • in advance. Single rooms are usually the first to be filled, so please think ahead even earlier if you require one of these. However we do get a few last-minute cancellations, and it is definitely worth enquiring about vacancies on any tour, even just a few weeks in advance.

• Please also note the section on early booking discounts below.

Last-minute bookings: We inevitably receive a few • unexpected late cancellations over the course of a season so it is always worth enquiring about vacancies on any tour - even for those departing in just a few weeks time!

• BEFORE BOOKING •

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Please ensure you read through, and, if possible, print out the long detailed version of our tour description on our website prior to booking. The detailed information, which is not provided in this brochure, may answer many of your queries about the tour.

Please make sure you have checked the Health Advice for the destination. See The National Travel Health Network and Centre website www.nathnac.org Please make sure you have checked the latest Travel Advice for the destination. Visit the FCO website www.fco.gov.uk

• •

Please enquire with us first (by phone or email) to check availability of your preferred tour and dates.

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PAYMENTS •

HOW TO BOOK •

We can hold provisional telephone reservations for up to 5 days.

Bookings can be made directly online by using our website www.naturalist.co.uk and use credit or debit card for payment (see below for credit card charges for balance payments).

Bookings can also be made by post. Please fill in the booking form (enclosed with this brochure) and send it with a cheque made payable to “The Travelling Naturalist” or credit /debit card details as deposit.

If you would like information sent to more than one address, please use a separate booking form for each address, even if sharing a room on the tour.

Please let us know about any extra arrangements, tour extensions or connecting flights that you would like us to arrange at time of booking.

Please include your travel insurance details if possible with the deposit.

We will forward, normally within seven working days, full written confirmation and an invoice, showing the balance due, and the date by which it should be paid. Please make a note of this date in your diary, as reminders are not sent unless stated.

About one month before departure you will receive joining instructions and details for the holiday.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries.

•

Deposits: The amount of deposit per person is given with each tour description. We accept payment by cheque (drawn on a UK bank in GB Pounds Sterling), by BACS or internet banking (please ask us for our bank details), and by debit card. We also accept most major credit cards.

Final Balance: Full payment of the balance

CLIENT LOYALTY DISCOUNTS Our loyalty discount scheme has been operating for several years now. This year, we’re continuing to give a 5% discount of the main tour price (excluding any single supplement) on every fifth trip you take with us! To claim the discount, just let us know how many trips you think you’ve taken with us when you book (still sending the full deposit), and we’ll check against our files, and deduct the appropriate amount from the final invoice. If you wish, you can save up two 5% discounts to get a 10% discount on your tenth tour! Please note that this loyalty discount scheme applies to tours that appear in The Travelling Naturalist’s brochure and on The Travelling Naturalist website only. It does not apply to Wildlife Worldwide bookings.

EARLY-BOOKING DISCOUNTS Early bookings help both you and us in many ways. Not only are you sure of your place on a trip, but we can secure flight tickets and accommodation much more easily well in advance.

This is especially true for long-haul destinations. To further encourage early booking, we’re offering a £40 per person discount for each 2015 and 2016 departure booked before 30 November 2014. Please note that booking forms and full deposits must actually be received by us by that date to qualify, and that the discount will be deducted from the balance, not the deposit. Please note that this early booking discount scheme applies only to tours that appear in this brochure.

RECOMMEND A FRIEND – AND YOU CAN BOTH SAVE £50!

Why not request a brochure for a friend who is new to The Travelling Naturalist, and who you think would enjoy our style of holidays? In fact many of our new clients have already come to us this way… and then stay with us! If your friend then books for the first time with us, and you are named on their booking form, we’ll say thanks by giving both you and your friend a £50 discount on your next holiday with us – and we’ll repeat this for every new friend that books! For example: recommending two friends who book will save you £100 off your next holiday and your friends £50 each off their holiday. So go on – spread the word!

TO CLAIM YOUR £50: When your friend books a holiday, ask them to mention at time of booking your name and address.

If they have never travelled with us before, we will give them a discount of £50 per person. We will send you a £50 voucher off a future holiday with The Travelling Naturalist for each friend you have recommended.

• •

is due not later than 12 weeks prior to departure (18 weeks for some US tours). We will send you an invoice with booking confirmation. We accept payment for final balances by BACS, cheque or debit card, and by credit card (with a 2% commission charge for the latter – see below).

Credit Card Charges: Please note that due to escalating credit card charges we are no longer able to absorb the cost of these. We will not charge for payment of the initial minimum deposit (as detailed in each tour description), but will make a 2% commission charge on any balances or subsequent payments (eg interim flight deposits) paid by credit card. We will not charge this for payments made by debit card, or by cheque.

If you are paying by credit or debit card, please use the secure payment facilities on the website, or let us have the card details on the printed booking form or by phone – please do not email us the card details. Card details are destroyed once used, so we may need to phone you for details for second or subsequent payments, and also sometimes need verbal authorisation from you in addition to the details.

Late Bookings: In order for us to guarantee airline seats, hotels etc for you, full payment is required at time of booking for all late bookings (i.e. bookings made within 12 weeks of departure).

Please note that we do not accept part payment of deposits or balances, nor post-dated cheques, which will be returned to you.

Please note that we do not accept cheques drawn on US Banks in US Dollars, or cheques in Euros, or Eurocheques.

Please note that we do not accept part payment of deposits or balances, nor post-dated cheques, which will be returned to you.

FINANCIAL PROTECTION ALL our holidays are fully bonded. That means that, whether you are booking for an overseas holiday with or without a flight, and whether you are an overseas client or not, if you have our booking confirmation, all money paid in advance is FULLY PROTECTED. Due to current UK legislation overlying the EU legislation, we have to use two bonding schemes, one for holidays with flights, and another for holidays without flights as follows: We hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL No. 10544) from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, in compliance with the UK rules, which enables us to offer flightinclusive holidays to the public in the UK. Details of the flights for each tour are given where possible. Our flight-inclusive tours are fully bonded. This means that the complete cost of the holiday - not just the flight element - is protected by bonding.

The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 for The Travelling Naturalist, and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for the following:

• • • •

non-flight packages commencing in and returning to the UK; non-flight packages commencing and returning to a country other than the UK; flight inclusive packages that commence outside of the UK, which are sold to customers outside of the UK; accommodation only bookings;

1, 2, 3 and 4 provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled. 1 and 3 provides for repatriation. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with The Travelling Naturalist.

A word of caution! The internet has made it much easier to book a wildlife tour directly with an overseas operator, or to book overseas hotels, lodges and transport directly, and to book a flight separately. If you are tempted to do this, beware! You certainly won’t be covered by the ATOL scheme and you are unlikely to have any protection for your monies paid in advance if things go wrong. You could do it, but you may never see your money again! The ONLY safe way to book a wildlife holiday from the UK is with a fully licensed and financially-protected tour operator, like the Travelling Naturalist.

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ABOUT THE TRAVELLING NATURALIST

CONDITIONS OF BOOKING with The Travelling Naturalist

for any change rests with our office or our experienced tour leader(s) who are often best placed to assess the situation ‘on the ground’. We also reserve the right to substitute the leader(s) if necessary. We will not be held liable for any loss whatsoever caused as a result of any delay or alteration.

THE TRAVELLING NATURALIST

10.

We reserve the right to change any of the prices in this brochure or on our website at any time before we enter into a contract with you.

We will notify you before we enter into such a contract.

Ref 200U

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1 The Travelling Naturalist is a trading name of The Natural Travel Collection Ltd (Registration Number: 7860375)

THE CONTRACT 2.

When you sign our booking form you are entering a contract made with The Natural Travel Collection Ltd, (registered address) Chancery House, 30 St Johns Road, Woking, Surrey, GU21 7SA. This means that you agree to accept all the conditions of booking. Our written confirmation of your booking means that we agree to operate your holiday as stated in the brochure. The contract is governed by English law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

DEPOSITS 3.

Bookings must be accompanied by a booking form (online or paper, in which case it must be signed) and a deposit. Once the booking has been confirmed, the deposit will not be refunded under any circumstances, unless we have to cancel the holiday due to low numbers of clients or other unforeseen circumstances. We reserve the right to decline to accept a booking at our own discretion.

BALANCES 4.

The balance must be paid at least 12 weeks (18 weeks for USA tours and some other tours; some Expedition Cruises may have an earlier balance date) before the starting date. Late bookings can sometimes be accepted within this time and the payment made in full on booking.

Your invoice will state when the balance is payable in any case.

Should the balance fail to reach us by the date specified on your invoice, we reserve the right to cancel your booking without refund.

5.

You may cancel your booking at any stage. Cancellations must be made in writing, and will be deemed to be made on the date on which we receive the written cancellation. All tour deposit and interim flight deposit payments you have made to us will be retained by us.

In the event of cancelling after the full balance is due, the following cancellation charges will apply if the cancellation is received: Tours to destinations outside the USA 84-43 days before departure: 50% of the total invoice cost 42-29 days before departure: 75% of the total invoice cost 28 days or less before departure: 100% of the total invoice cost Tours to the USA 120-71 days before departure: 50% of the total invoice cost 70 days or less before departure: 100% of the total invoice cost To protect yourself, please ensure that you take out travel insurance to cover this as early as possible.

6.

Our stated minimum number of clients per group is six, but we often run tours with fewer than this number. Please note, however, that we cannot accept cancellations without loss of deposits simply because the tour is running with fewer clients than expected. The operation of all tours is subject to minimum numbers being achieved at least 70 days prior to departure. If a tour is underbooked at that time, we may defer cancellation but will inform you if the tour is running or not no later than 6 weeks prior to departure. Under certain circumstances (e.g a couple wishing to join a tour when only one space remains) we may exceed our stated maximum numbers by one. Please note that leaders may have to be substituted on occasion.

7.

If circumstances force you to leave a tour early, or follow a separate itinerary, you will have to bear any extra costs involved, although these may be covered by your Travel Insurance.

11.

Special requests must be advised to us prior to departure and preferably at time of booking. We will advise the relevant suppliers of your requirements but cannot guarantee that such requests will be met.

Furthermore, we have no liability if such requests are not met.

12.

Please note that we usually charge a £35 booking fee for booking separate flights from (or additional flights to) the main group flights to cover our administrative costs. If you wish to book a tour with a connecting flight from a regional airport, you must tell us at the time of booking.

SURCHARGES 13.

The prices of our holidays are calculated well in advance, and unexpected cost increases sometimes occur. Rather than cancel the holiday, or not accept a booking, we may have to levy a surcharge on the holiday price on the following items: governmental action, currency fluctuations, fuel, overflying charges, airport charges, increases in scheduled air fares and increases in transfer and other transport costs at the holiday destination. Even in this case, we will absorb an amount up to the first 2% of the holiday price which excludes premiums and any amendment charges. No surcharge will be imposed less than 30 days prior to departure and only amounts in excess of this 2% will be surcharged. If this means paying more than 10% on the tour price, you will be entitled to cancel your booking with a full refund (except for any insurance premiums and amendment charges), but you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days of the surcharge invoice date.

22.

Claims in respect of the matters referred to in paragraphs 20 & 21 shall (in respect of both liability and quantum) fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.

23.

We shall be entitled to limit our liability in relation to claims within paragraphs 19 & 20 in the manner provided by any international convention applying to any air, sea or land carriage.

24.

Where we have complied with our responsibilities set out in paragraphs 19 & 20 we will accept no liability in respect of death or physical injury unless resulting from proven negligence; loss or damage to goods; loss, damage, or delay or misdirection of your luggage or effects; claims arising out of carriage by air or sea, the liability being limited in accordance with the International Convention subject to which such carriage is performed.

25.

We will accept no liability in respect of losses or additional expenses incurred as a result of transport delays, sickness, weather, war or other political crises, strikes, acts of God or other events which amount to force majeure. All such losses or additional expenses will be borne by the client.

DISABILITIES & MEDICAL CONDITIONS 26.

Many, but not all, of our holidays may not be suitable for people with certain disabilities and medical conditions. Please ask us if in any doubt. In any case, if any client suffers from any disability or medical condition which may affect the running of the holiday, they must provide us with full details at the time of booking. We reserve the right to cancel a booking and impose the appropriate cancellation charges if such details are not provided. We further reserve the right to decline any booking whenever we feel unable to accommodate the particular needs of a particular client on that trip.

PLEASE NOTE

YOUR SAFETY, TRAVEL ADVICE & INSURANCE

14.

Clients must observe any instructions given by our leaders as regards logistics, safety and conservation. Failure to do this could lead to dismissal from the group, as could any behaviour that, in the opinion of the leader, is severely detrimental to the safety, welfare and enjoyment of other members of the group.

27.

Risks to your safety and security are an unavoidable aspect of all travel. The best current advice on such risks is provided for you by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice unit.

In order to assess and protect against any risks in your chosen destination, it is strongly recommended that you refer to the FCO website (www.fco.go.uk/travel) or telephone 0870 6060290 prior to booking and regularly before you travel.

15.

In the event of our declining to retain a client during a holiday, full refund of the unused portion of the holiday will be paid to this client.

However, the client must bear any extra expenses involved in returning home under these circumstances.

16.

We regret that no pets may be brought.

17.

We ask clients not to smoke in any vehicle we use, when in close company with other members of the group, or anywhere where there may be a fire risk.

18.

We reserve the right to take photographs during the operation of our tours, and to use the resulting images for promotional purposes.

By booking with us, tour members agree to allow their image to be used in this way; clients who prefer that their image should not be used must inform us prior to the tour.

SINGLE ROOMS 19.

We will always try to accommodate clients who request single rooms, but this is not always possible, and clients may be asked to share for all or part of the holiday. In this case we will of course not charge the single room supplement for the portion of the holiday where the room is shared. We will also try to accommodate clients travelling on their own but wishing to share, but if there is no other single person on the tour willing also to share we will have to charge the single room supplement.

TOUR ALTERATION

RESPONSIBILITIES & LIABILITY

8.

If we are forced to cancel a holiday for any reason, we will refund the full amount you have paid us for that holiday.

20.

We will accept responsibility should the services we are contractually obliged to provide prove deficient or not of reasonable standard. We will also accept responsibility for loss or damage due to the proven negligent acts or omissions of our employees or our sub- contractors, agents or suppliers or their servants and/or agents.

9. The tour descriptions and itineraries in this brochure and on our website are meant only as a guide. Please note that our itineraries do not constitute contracts and we reserve the right to change them at any time for emergency, logistical or other reasons so long as these alterations are in keeping with the nature of the tour. The final decision

sub-contractors or agents or suppliers or their servants and/or agents provided they were acting within the scope of their employment at the time.

28.

It is also very important that you are well-informed about health risks and issues in your chosen destination country before making your booking. Clients are strongly recommended to refer to the Government advice website for detailed advice before booking (www.nathnac.org/travel/index.htm).

29.

Good travel insurance is essential before departing on any overseas trip (and is to be much recommended for UK holidays as well).

In common with most other operators now, we insist that participants are fully insured before travelling overseas with us.

COMPLAINTS 30.

Please notify your party leader of any complaint as soon as possible in order that we may assist you. If the complaint is not dealt with to your satisfaction there and then, the nature of the complaint should be stated, in writing, as soon as possible within 28 days of the completion of the holiday. We will not be under any liability in respect of claims of which we are not notified in writing within 28 days of the date scheduled for your return.

21.

We will accept liability in respect of death, bodily injury or illness resulting from our proven negligence or that of our employees or our

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O P E N I N G H O U R S : M O N - F R I 9 A M TO 5 P M ( A L L Y E A R ) E XC E P T BA N K H O L I DAYS W W W. N AT U R A L I S T.CO.U K +44 ( 0 ) 1305 267 994

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YOUR TOUR CALENDAR DATES NEW AND EXCITING TOURS AND DESTINATIONS ARE CONTINUALLY BEING ADDED. PLEASE CHECK FOR UPDATES BY VISITING WWW.NATURALIST.CO.UK OR CONTACT US DIRECT ON +44 (0) 1305 267 994

2014

DEPARTS

NOVEMBER MOROCCO – in Autumn AUSTRALIA – Eastern SRI LANKA – Jewel of the Indian Ocean SPAIN – Northern FALKLANDS – Photographic Tour ICELAND – in Winter

1 Nov 6 Nov 13 Nov 16 Nov 19 Nov 20 Nov

DECEMBER HOLLAND – Wild Goose Chase

4 Dec

2015 JANUARY NEW ZEALAND – Natural History SOUTH AFRICA – Cape & Karoo FALKLANDS – Wildlife Spectacular TRINIDAD & TOBAGO – Asa Wright Experience FALKLANDS – For Addicts

4 Jan 10 Jan 14 Jan 22 Jan 28 Jan

FEBRUARY SRI LANKA – Jewel of the Indian Ocean FLORIDA – Winter Birding MALDIVES – Whales & Dolphins FRANCE – Camargue in Winter SPAIN – Lynx Tour COSTA RICA – Cloud Forests & Volcanoes

1 Feb 3 Feb 20 Feb 23 Feb 28 Feb 28 Feb

MARCH BOTSWANA & ZAMBIA – Okavango Delta ICELAND – Orcas & Auroras GERMANY – Brandenburg FRANCE – Dordogne Wallcreepers ICELAND – in Winter SOUTH AFRICA – Drakensberg Flowers SPAIN – Extremadura in Spring MOROCCO – in Spring LAPLAND – Northern Lights ICELAND – in Winter CYPRUS – South

2 Mar 5 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 12 Mar 17 Mar 21 Mar 22 Mar 23 Mar 26 Mar 26 Mar

MAY GREEK ISLANDS – Lesvos BELARUS – Premaeval Forests TANZANIA – Birds & Big Cats DORSET – Spring ORKNEY – Wildlife & History ROMANIA – Spring FRANCE – Dordogne Wildlife TURKEY – Southern HUNGARY – Photographic POLAND – in Spring BULGARIA – in Spring ESTONIA – in Spring AUSTRIA – in Spring HUNGARY – in Spring VERCORS – Photographic ISLES OF SCILLY – in Spring OUTER MONGOLIA – Birding Gun Galuut HUNGARY & TRANSYLVANIA – Birds & Bears FRANCE – Vercors

JUNE CANADA – Alberta, Great Plains & Rockies GERMANY – Bavarian Alps IRELAND – Burren & Aran SPAIN – Spanish Pyrenees ALASKA – in Spring OUTER HEBRIDES – Summer CZECH REPUBLIC – Dragonflies SWITZERLAND – Alps in Summer FRANCE – Dordogne Butterflies ICELAND – in Summer FRENCH PYRENEES – Mountain Wildlife SHETLAND – Wildlife Photography SWEDEN – Butterflies

APRIL

AUGUST KALAHARI & NAMAQUALAND – in Spring CANADA – Grand Manan CALIFORNIA – Coasts & Deserts AUSTRIA – in Autumn FRANCE – Camargue & Pyrenees SOUTH AFRICA – Birds & Big Cats COSTA RICA – Turtles & Toucans

The Travelling Naturalist

2 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 9 Jun 11 Jun 12 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 14 Jun 17 Jun 20 Jun 27 Jun

JULY FRANCE – Dordogne Dragonflies FRANCE – Pyrenees Flowers SPITSBERGEN – Arctic Summer SLOVENIA & HUNGARY – Butterflies ICELAND – Puffins OUTER HEBRIDES – in Summer COSTA RICA – Turtles & Toucans

MALDIVES – Whales & Dolphins 3 Apr PORTUGAL – Southern 4 Apr SCOTLAND – Aigas short break 6 Apr CRETE – Flowers & Wildlife 7 Apr MONTENEGRO & ALBANIA – Adriatic in Spring 11 Apr ITALY – Sicily Wk1 14 Apr SWEDEN – Spring 16 Apr KOS – Isle of Hippocrates 18 Apr FRANCE – Corsica 19 Apr TRINIDAD – Turtles 20 Apr ITALY – Sicily Wk2 23 Apr LEWIS & HARRIS – Seabirds & Standing Stones 25 Apr

PO Box 3141 Dorchester Dorset DT1 2XD T: +44 (0) 1305 267 994 F: +44 (0) 1305 265 506 info@naturalist.co.uk www.naturalist.co.uk

DEPARTS 2 May 3 May 3 May 4 May 6 May 8 May 9 May 9 May 10 May 11 May 15 May 17 May 18 May 22 May 23 May 23 May 29 May 31 May 31 May

4 Jul 11 Jul 13 Jul 14 Jul 17 Jul 23 Jul Weekly

16 Aug 17 Aug 25 Aug 29 Aug 29 Aug 31 Aug Weekly

5 Sep 5 Sep 12 Sep 12 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 19 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 25 Sep 25 Sep Weekly

OCTOBER SOUTH AFRICA – Cape & Garden route BOLIVIA – Andean Foothills & Lake Titicaca AUSTRALIA – Western HUNGARY – in Autumn OUTER HEBRIDES – in Autumn GERMANY – Brandenburg ARGENTINA – Cacti DORSET – in Autumn SPAIN – Lynx Tour NAMIBIA – Birds & Wildlife SOUTH AFRICA – Kruger & Drakensberg MOROCCO – in Autumn CANADA – Churchill

4 Oct 9 Oct 11 Oct 11 Oct 12 Oct 18 Oct 19 Oct 19 Oct 24 Oct 25 Oct 26 Oct 31 Oct Weekly

NOVEMBER AUSTRALIA – Eastern GAMBIA & SENEGAL – West African Birding GUYANA – Rainforests, Savannas & Wetlands FALKLANDS – Photographic Tour SRI LANKA – Jewel of the Indian Ocean ARGENTINA – Patagonia & Iguazú ICELAND – in Winter HOLLAND – Wild Goose Chase SPAIN – Northern CANADA – Churchill

5 Nov 6 Nov 15 Nov 18 Nov 19 Nov 16 Nov 19 Nov 26 Nov 29 Nov Weekly

DECEMBER GAMBIA – Photographic Tour

4 Dec

2016 JANUARY FALKLANDS – Wildlife Spectacular FLORIDA – Winter Birding

13 Jan 30 Jan

FEBRUARY TRINIDAD & TOBAGO – Asa Wright Experience 11 Feb

APRIL

SEPTEMBER MADAGASCAR – Lemurs SWEDEN – in Autumn FRANCE – Dordogne Moths

ROMANIA – in Autumn SARDINIA – Birds & Wildlife TURKEY – Bosporus LATVIA – Mushrooms UTAH & ARIZONA – Canyons & Wildlife SPAIN & MOROCCO – Autumn Migration BULGARIA – in Autumn ISLES OF SCILLY – in Autumn ESTONIA – in Autumn ICELAND – A Volcanic Introduction BRAZIL – Jaguars & Harpy Eagles MALDIVES – Whales & Dolphins COSTA RICA – Turtles & Toucans

2 Sep 4 Sep 5 Sep

BAJA CALIFORNIA – Whale watching

TAILOR MADE DEPARTURES If you would like your wildlife holiday tailor-made, make sure you contact our Wildlife Worldwide team on 0845 130 6982 or look at www.wildlifeworldwide.com

W W W. N AT U R A L I S T.C O.U K

6 Apr